Nitin Gadkari told Parliament on Thursday that the way India collects tolls is about to change completely. The current manual system, where vehicles slow down or stop at plazas, will be removed within a year. In its place, the government plans to roll out a fully electronic setup meant to let drivers move through national highways without interruption.
Speaking during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, Gadkari explained that the new system is already active at ten locations across the country, and the plan is to extend it nationwide over the next twelve months. He said motorists will no longer be stopped for toll payments once this transition is complete. He also pointed out that the ministry is handling around 4,500 ongoing highway projects with a combined value of roughly Rs 10 lakh crore.
The upgraded toll system is built on the National Electronic Toll Collection platform developed by the National Payments Corporation of India. It works through FASTag, an RFID sticker placed on a vehicle’s windscreen that automatically deducts the toll amount from the user’s account. This lets vehicles pass through without slowing down at toll booths, making the process smoother and faster for everyone on the road.
