Panel pulls up highway authority for toll loss

Fee charged on only 61 per cent of stretches completed up to June 2008.

The Committee on Infrastructure, in its meeting to review the implementation of highway projects, has pulled up the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for being able to charge toll on only 61 per cent of the 9,329 km of highway stretches completed up to June 2008. These stretches were built under various phases of the National Highway Development Programme (NHDP).

The NHAI has been asked to address the issue of the loss of revenue due to this.

“Toll can be charged only when the work on a particular highway package has been fully completed. There were a few highway packages where the construction work was still under progress till June 2008. Since then we have been able to build an additional 657 km of highways. We will be charging toll on all fully-completed stretches soon”, said a senior NHAI official.

The NHAI had set a target of earning Rs 1,700 crore as toll fee for the financial year 2008-09. So far, in the first six months of the current financial year, the NHAI has collected toll revenue of Rs 835 crore, which is well below its projection of Rs 865 crore.

“This shortfall is mainly on account of the government’s decision to reverse the hike in toll charges following the nationwide truckers’ strike in July 2008. Otherwise, the toll collection is almost in line with our expectation and we are confident of achieving our target for the current financial year as more and more highway stretches will be brought under the toll system”, said the NHAI official.

The Committee on Infrastructure also reviewed the progress on the proposed 1,000-kilometre new expressway at an estimated cost of Rs 16,680 crore under the NHDP-VI and construction of 700 km of bypasses, service roads, ring roads and grade separators under the NHDP-VII.