NHAI Revolutionising Road Travel: Nationwide GPS-based toll collection to be rolled out by March 2024 – All details here

financialexpress.com:

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently announced that the government is planning to implement new technologies, including GPS-based toll collection systems, to replace existing highway toll plazas. The initiative aims to alleviate traffic congestion and ensure motorists are charged accurately for the distance traveled on highways. The rollout of new GPS satellite-based toll collection is scheduled to commence nationwide by March next year.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has conducted two successful pilot projects featuring Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems, specifically automatic number plate reader cameras. These trials aim to enable automated toll collection without the need for vehicles to come to a complete stop.

Highlighting the positive impact of FASTags introduced during 2020-21 and 2021-22, Gadkarinoted a substantial reduction in the average waiting time at toll plazas. The waiting time, which was 8 minutes during 2018-19, decreased to a remarkable 47 seconds with the implementation of FASTags.

Looking ahead, the government plans to bid out road projects worth Rs 1.5-2 lakh crore on the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) model. These projects, focusing on highways of less than 1,000 kilometers in length, are slated to be awarded before the implementation of the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming general elections in April-May 2024.

Gadkari shared that going forward, the government will lean towards the Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) model for highway construction projects. InvITs serve as financial instruments designed to pool investments from various sources to fund infrastructure development.

In a bid to enhance efficiency, Gadkari urged highway contractors to focus on