The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced plans to pilot a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based toll collection system on select national highways, complementing the existing FASTag system. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari shared this update in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Pilot Studies and Stakeholder Consultations
The GNSS-based toll collection system will initially be tested on the Bengaluru-Mysore section of NH-275 in Karnataka and the Panipat-Hisar section of NH-709 in Haryana. Gadkari explained that a pilot study has been conducted to assess the system’s effectiveness. He also highlighted an international workshop held on June 25, 2024, and a global expression of interest (EOI) process initiated on June 7, 2024, with a submission deadline of July 22, 2024.
In response to another query, Gadkari outlined the ministry’s master plan to enhance logistics through expressways and high-speed highways under the PM Gatishakti Framework. This plan utilizes transportation models and data analysis from e-way bills, toll collections, and traffic surveys.
Delays and Financial Challenges
The minister addressed the issue of delays in national highway projects, noting that 697 projects have surpassed their original completion dates. Primary reasons for the delays include land acquisition issues, statutory clearances, utility shifting, encroachment removal, law and order problems, financial difficulties faced by contractors, and force majeure events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, heavy rainfall, floods, cyclones, and landslides.
Since 2014, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has secured loans and borrowings totaling Rs 3.77 lakh crore for project completion. As of the beginning of the current financial year, approximately 20,000 km of national highways remain under construction. The ministry also has a shelf of projects in various stages of preparation to further accelerate progress.
Gadkari revealed that Rs 1.94 crore has been spent so far on clearing bills related to rescue and relief operations at the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand. He noted that a few bills remain unpaid and that the expenditure was incurred by the engineering company involved in the operations.
