NH users who fail to pay toll to get 3 days to make payment

NEW DELHI: Highway users who fail to pay toll charges on NHs due to a faulty or blacklisted FASTag, insufficient balance or absence of a tag, will get three days to make the payment after receiving an e-notice. If payment is not made within this period, double the toll amount will be charged and all vehicle (registration certificate)-related services, such as change of ownership, transfer and renewal, will be suspended.

Details on procedure for e-notice for non-payment of toll charge will be notified in the next few days, a senior road transport ministry official said.

The procedure to pay the pending toll charge and also to challenge it will be spelt out in the notification. “This is crucial as we start multi-lane free flow (MLFF), or barrier-less toll collection, on NH stretches. The first MLFF tolling is set for roll out at Choryasi in Gujarat,” said an official.

So far, NHAI’s electronic tolling entity IHMCL has bid out MLFF for 16 toll plazas. These include Gharaunda in Haryana, Mundka in Delhi, and Manoharpura, Shahjahanpur and Daulatpura in Rajasthan where the new system will be operational soon. TOI has learnt that govt will now bid out MLFF projects in bundles for accelerated implementation.

“The provision of e-notice is key to the success of MLFF as in this tolling system, vehicles will pass seamlessly and won’t be stopped. The e-notice for failing to pay toll will mention double charge, but if vehicle owners pay within three days, there will be a 50% discount, meaning paying the exact toll,” said an official.

Earlier, the ministry amended the NH Fee Rules specifying that failure to clear unpaid toll dues will result in not getting a ‘NOC’ for transfer of ownership or transfer of a vehicle from one state to another.

Women staff at toll plazas

New Delhi: NHAI has deployed over 5,100 female staff during day shifts at more than 1,140 toll plazas. It said the exclusive deployment of women staff in frontline operational roles will improve the user experience by fostering an efficient and user-friendly environment for commuters, as well as “reduce the likelihood of disputes at the toll booths on NH fee plazas”. The decision was taken after discussions with stakeholders, including fee plaza operators and industry associations.

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