The Union Government is conducting a pilot study on two national highways for toll collection through a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. This includes the Bengaluru-Mysore National Highway and the Panipat-Hisar National Highway.
Union Minister Gadkari said that the pilot study is being conducted on the Bengaluru-Mysore section of NH-275 in the State of Karnataka and the Panipat-Hisar section of NH-709 (the old NH-71A) in the State of Haryana.
The minister informed the house that it has been decided to initially implement a GNSS-based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system on selected sections of national highways on a pilot basis, as an added facility along with FASTag.
Earlier, Gadkari announced that the NHAI plans to implement the GNSS-based ETC system within the existing FASTag ecosystem, initially using a hybrid model where both RFID-based ETC and GNSS-based ETC will operate simultaneously.
The minister also informed that, under this project, dedicated GNSS lanes will be available at toll plazas, allowing vehicles using the GNSS-based ETC to pass through freely. As GNSS-based ETC becomes more widespread, all lanes will eventually be converted to GNSS lanes.
GNSS-based toll collection is a barrier-free method of ‘Electronic Toll Collection’, where road users are charged based on the distance they have travelled on the tolled highway stretch, instead of paying according to the toll locations.
The implementation of GNSS-based electronic toll collection in India will facilitate the smooth movement of vehicles along national highways and is envisaged to provide many benefits to highway users, such as barrier-less, free-flow tolling leading to a hassle-free riding experience and distance-based tolling.
This will also help to plug leakages and check toll evaders, resulting in a more efficient toll collection system across the country.
In a reply to the Rajya Sabha, the union minister also added that a stakeholder consultation through an international workshop was organised on June 25, 2024. A Global Expression of Interest (EOI) was also invited for wider industrial consultation on the issue on June 7, 2024.
(with inputs from ANI)
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