India to be toll plaza-free inside a 12 months, GPS imaging for use for toll assortment: Here is what Union Minister Nitin Gadkari mentioned

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday knowledgeable Lok Sabha that the central authorities will cast off the toll plaza cubicles throughout the nation inside a 12 months. He mentioned instead of bodily toll plazas, GPS-based toll assortment might be carried out.
“I want to assure the House that within one year all physical toll booths in the country will be removed. It means that toll collection will happen via GPS. The money will be collected based on GPS imaging (on vehicles),” Gadkari mentioned within the Lok Sabha throughout Question Hour.
#WATCH | I need to guarantee the House inside one 12 months all bodily toll cubicles within the nation might be eliminated. Toll cash might be collected based mostly on GPS imaging: Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari in Lok Sabha pic.twitter.com/5oAVB4lpbi— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2021
It is necessary to notice that Gadkari’s assertion that the nation will eliminate toll plazas doesn’t imply that the travellers is not going to must pay the toll expenses. He meant {that a} system will quickly be in place which is able to leverage the GPS imaging expertise to deduct cash instantly from the registered checking account of the proprietor when the automotive passes by way of a toll street.
Government exploring methods to get GPS put in in outdated automobiles: Gadkari
“While now all commercial vehicles are coming with vehicle tracking systems, the government will come up with some plan to install GPS technology in old vehicles,” he mentioned.
Gadkari additionally mentioned that each one toll collections might attain ₹34,000 crores by coming March. He knowledgeable, through the use of GPS expertise for toll assortment, the toll revenue within the subsequent 5 years might be ₹1,34,000 crore.
93% of automobiles pay toll utilizing FASTag: Gadkari
Nitin Gadkari additionally spoke about FASTag adoption, stating that about 93 per cent of the automobiles pay toll utilizing FASTag, whereas the remaining 7 per cent have nonetheless not taken it regardless of paying a double toll. The minister mentioned he has requested for a police inquiry for automobiles that also don’t pay toll utilizing FASTag. There are circumstances of toll theft and GST evasion circumstances if FASTags are usually not fitted in automobiles, he mentioned.
FASTag is an digital toll assortment system in India, operated by the National Highway Authority of India. It employs Radio Frequency Identification expertise for making toll funds instantly from the pay as you go or financial savings account linked to it. It was launched in 2016. Staring February 16, automobiles with out FASTag are compelled to pay double toll price at digital toll plazas throughout the nation.
The new automobiles have FASTag fitted with them, and for the outdated ones the federal government will present free FASTags, Gadkari mentioned.