Motorists, brace yourselves: Highway toll in Tamil Nadu to increase from April 1
While NHAI officials say the hike is nominal, truckers note that a vehicle proceeding from Chennai to Delhi will incur an additional expense of around Rs 1,000
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CHENNAI: Amid the heated Lok Sabha poll campaign with several parties, including the DMK, AIADMK and NTK, demanding the removal of toll plazas within Tamil Nadu, 36 toll plazas on National Highways across the state would witness a hike in user fees ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 20 for various category of vehicles from April 1.
Eight toll plazas under the state government control in Chennai and Madurai will also revise toll charges from April 1.
The toll plazas at Vanagaram, Surapattu, Paranur, Athur, Mathur, Krishnagiri, Boothakudi and Vaniyambadi are among a few where the revision would come into force in the state from Monday.
Out of the 64 toll plazas on National Highways in the state, the user fees at 40 plazas are scheduled to be revised on April 1 while the rest will increase on September 1 every year.
The toll charges are revised based on the wholesale price index under the provisions of the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008.
Of the 40 toll plazas, the NHAI has not notified the revision for Nemili (Sriperumbudur) and Chennasamudaram (Walajahpet) toll plazas on the Sriperumbudur - Walajahpet section of the Chennai Bengaluru Highway due to the ongoing six-laning works.
Two toll plazas - Parali Pudur in Madurai and Velampatti in Tirupur, which commenced commercial operations this year - would witness user fee revision starting next year from April 1.
Apart from NHAI, the state government-run Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation would also revise the user fees on the toll plazas maintained by it at Uthandhi on East Coast Road and Varadharajapuram, Kolappancheri, Palavedu and Chinnamullaivoyal on Chennai Outer Ring Road. Tamil Nadu Road Infrastructure Development Corporation operates three plazas on Madurai Bypass.
C Dhanaraj, president of the State Lorry Owners Federation (SLOF), said that the increase in toll charges would lead to freight cost hikes, which in turn would result in rise in prices, including essential commodities.
“After diesel toll charges are second highest expenses faced by truck owners. Though NHAI officials claim that the hike is nominal, a truck ferrying goods from Chennai to Delhi will end up paying Rs 1,000 more on toll charges,” he said, demanding the government to accept their proposal for collecting the user fees annually and removing toll plazas.