The toll at 26 of the 51 plazas on roads under the control of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Tamil Nadu will be revised from midnight March 31.
The annual increase is done at the plazas established under the 2008 toll rules and is linked to the wholesale price index (WPI).
Sources in the NHAI said the revision was being carried out at plazas across the country and was not specific to Tamil Nadu. “For smaller vehicles, the increase is quite nominal. Only heavy vehicles have to pay a bit more, but truckers will have no complaints since they are happy with the quality of roads and understand that when roads are good they spend less on fuel and vehicle repairs. We are also creating facilities, including lay-bys and wayside amenities,” said an official.
A former official of NHAI explained that toll collected did not cover the entire amount spent on laying a road. “The cost of land acquisition is usually borne by the Central government. Similarly, under hybrid annuity model (HAM), the Centre bears 40% of the cost. In many cases, even projects that are not financially viable are taken up to ensure the convenience of road users,” he said.
Meanwhile, the toll at plazas close to Chennai city and in the urban limits is also being hiked. Minister for Highways E. V. Velu had submitted a request to the Centre with the names of these plazas and sought that they be removed. The plazas are located at Paranur, Surapattu and Vanagaram.
Jude Mathews of the Independent Taxi Owners’ Association, said that this year, the hike was between ₹10 and ₹40 per trip. “We say the increase is nominal every year. But we fail to see the increase effected over the years, that is right from when the plaza was established. The WPI is linked to the prices of commodities and over the last years, we have seen a monumental hike in the prices of goods, so naturally the toll, too, is going up,” he explained.
