User fee at 14 toll plazas in Tamil Nadu to go up by 10%

CHENNAI: Traveling along western and southern districts of Tamil Nadu is all set to get more expensive as user fee at 14 toll plazas in the state is set to go up by 10% from September 1. Some of these toll gates are located along road stretches which connect Chennai with cities like Madurai, Salem and Tada in Andhra Pradesh.

NHAI authorities said that they have prepared the revised rates based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), which varies from one toll plaza to another.
The Union Road Transport Ministry is expected to give its nod in a day or two after which an advertisement, on the final user fee rates for different category of vehicles, will be published in the local newspapers, said a NHAI official. "Cars will have to pay 10% more than what they are paying now and heavy-duty vehicles like lorries and buses would be charged 4-6 % more," an official said, on condition of anonymity.
Price of essential commodities transported through these toll gates is likely to go up, particularly after a steep hike in fuel prices, say traders. This revision by NHAI comes against the backdrop of stiff opposition from various quarters for increasing rates at 20 other toll gates in the state, including six in Chennai suburbs, in March this year. Tamil Nadu is one among the top five states in generation of revenue through toll gates in 2017-18. According to official data, the toll revenue has increased by 21% in the last two years.
Name of the toll gate - Stretch
Eliyarpathi - Madurai-Tuticorin
Kodai Road - Dindigul Bypass-Samayanallur
Mettupatti - Salem-Ulundurpet
Morratandi - Pondicherry-Tindivanam
Nallur - Chennai-Tada
Nathakkarai - Salem-Ulundurpet
Ponnamabalapatti - Trichy-Dindigul
Pudurpandiyapuram - Madurai-Tuticorin
Thirumandurai - Ulundurpet-Padalur
Vaiguntham - Salem-Kumarapalayam
Valavanthankottai - Thanjavur-Trichy
Veeracholapuram - Salem-Ulundurpet
Vijayamangalam - Kumarapalayam-Chengalpalli
Vikravandi - Tindivanam-Ulundurpet