National Highways Authority of India hikes toll on expressways by 5%; new rates effective from today
NHAI: NHAI has decided to increase toll rates by an average of five percent across the country. With this, motorists using expressways will now have to pay more from Monday.
Motorists using expressways will have to pay more from Monday. Actually, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to increase toll rates by an average of five percent across the country. Toll rates are revised every year on April 1. But this time the hike was postponed due to the Lok Sabha elections.
A senior NHAI official said on Sunday, the new toll rates will come into effect from June 3. The change in toll rates is part of the annual exercise to revise the rates linked to changes in Wholesale Price Index (CPI) based inflation. There are about 855 toll plazas on the national highway, which are charged as per the National Highway Fee (Determination and Collection of Rates) Rules, 2008. Of these, 675 are publicly funded toll plazas. While 180 are operated by concessionaires.
After the increase in toll rates, one may have to pay about eight rupees more for the journey from Delhi to Meerut and Delhi to Hapur, while seven rupees more may have to be paid at Luharli toll between Ghaziabad and Aligarh.
Private companies are responsible for collecting tolls on the Delhi Meerut Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Delhi-Hapur Expressway, and Ghaziabad-Aligarh Highway. According to the contract, there is a provision to increase the toll fee every year, but these companies do not have the right to decide the toll rates, rather NHAI itself decides the rates.
Light private vehicles must pay a toll fee of Rs 160 for one-way travel from Delhi (Sarai Kale Khan) to Meerut, which may rise to Rs 168, and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) may be required to pay a toll fee of Rs262 instead of Rs 250. Similarly, the toll fee for light private vehicles from Delhi (Sarai Kale Khan) to Hapur will rise from Rs 165 to Rs 173, while light commercial vehicles (LCVs) may be required to pay Rs 278 rather than Rs 265. Private vehicles are required to pay Rs 140 at the Luharli toll between Ghaziabad and Aligarh, which may be increased to Rs 147. According to NHAI officials, the correct information about the new toll rates will only be available on June 2.
