GNSS-Based Toll Collection on NHs: Gadkari's Announcement

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) The road ministry has decided to initially implement global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based toll collection system at select national highways on pilot basis as an added facility along with FASTag, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said pilot study with regard to GNSS-based user fee collection system has been done on Bengaluru-Mysore section of NH-275 in Karnataka and Panipat-Hisar section of NH-709 in Haryana.

Gadkari said a stakeholder consultation through international workshop was organised on June 25, 2024 and global expression of interest (EOI) was invited for wider industrial consultation on June 7, 2024 with last date of submission as July 22, 2024.

Replying to a separate question, he said the master plan for national highways to improve the logistics with provision of expressway/high speed highways has been prepared by the road ministry under PM Gatishakti Framework using transportation model with analysis of data of e-way bills (GST), toll and traffic survey.

Responding to another question, the minister said among all the national highway projects that started about 10 years ago, 697 projects have gone beyond their original completion schedule.

Primary reasons for delay in NH projects are issues relating to land acquisition, statutory clearances , utility shifting, encroachment removal, law & order, financial crunch of contractor, poor performance of contractor and force majeure events like Covid-19 pandemic, heavy rainfall, floods, cyclone, landslides/avalanches etc, he added.

According to Gadkari, since 2014, NHAI has availed loan and other borrowings totalling Rs 3.77 lakh crore for completion of projects / scheme entrusted with them.

The minister also informed that at the beginning of the current financial year, under ongoing/awarded projects, the ministry had about 20,000 km national highways remaining for construction.

Moreover, the ministry has a shelf of projects under DPR and tendering process, to further augment the construction progress during the current and next fiscal years, he said.

Gadkari also said that about Rs 1.94 crore has been incurred till date towards clearing of two bills related to the rescue and relief operations at Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand.

"A few bills have not been paid. Expenditure made on rescue and relief operations is on account of the engineering company," the minister said.