Southern states hold nearly 30% of toll collected on national highways

They account for 19.85 per cent the total length of such roads across the country

The five southern states of India contribute nearly a third of the toll revenue collected on national highways, despite accounting for just under a fifth of the total road length.

According to a recent report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, these states have around 27,000 kilometres of roads. This figure represents 19.85 per cent of the total 136,000 kilometres across the country as of March 2021. The CAG, as an audit body, examines whether public funds are being collected and used appropriately. It conducted an audit of the southern highways and issued a note in August 2023.

The statistics revealed that the total toll revenue collected was over Rs 26,000 crore as of March 2021. Of this, the southern states accounted for nearly Rs 7,500 crore, or 28.64 per cent. Notably, toll revenues have been on the rise despite the pandemic's impact. The all-India collection stood at Rs 24,396.19 crore in the financial year 2018-19 and Rs 21,948.13 crore in the financial year 2017-18 (chart 1).

Andhra Pradesh experienced the fastest growth during this period, with toll revenues growing by 31 per cent between the financial years 2017-18 and 2020-21. In contrast, Telangana saw growth of 22 per cent. Tamil Nadu had the highest collections, but growth there was only 4 per cent. The other southern states of Karnataka and Kerala also recorded single-digit growth, ranging between 6-8 per cent (chart 2).

Source: Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Toll Operations of National Highways Authority of India in Southern India
Note: Report released in August 2023.
(in crore Rs.)
Name of the State	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
Tamil Nadu	2,345.92	2,502.89	2,650.00	2,440.95
Karnataka	1,720.38	1,866.88	1,892.51	1,831.41
Andhra Pradesh	1,496.57	1,453.55	1,778.57	1,957.46
Telangana	854.6	942.09	1,016.48	1,043.21
Kerala	167.76	180.36	200.36	181.93