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).
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