Remove highway tolls, replace them with one-time fee: DMK Rajya Sabha member tells Centre
Wilson also sought an independent audit to analyse the investments and the realised amounts at these toll plazas
CHENNAI: The toll plazas on National Highways across the country, which have come to become a sore point among the people and opposition politicians alike, should be abolished, said DMK’s Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate P Wilson, who proposed a one-time fee to be collected at the time of vehicle registration to ensure a fair and transparent system that respects the right to free movement.
In a special mention in the Rajya Sabha, Wilson also sought an independent audit to analyse the investments and the realised amounts at these toll plazas.
He referred to a CAG report that revealed how the NHAI collected an excess amount of Rs 28.54 crore in Paranur toll plaza without adhering to the rules to reduce user fees by 40 per cent after recovering the project cost.
Wilson also criticised the lack of an independent authority to regulate toll fees and the arbitrary formula used for periodic increases, which favours concessioners at the expense of the public interest and burdens the poor and the public.
Also Read: Cost recovered long ago, but toll plazas on highways in Tamil Nadu to stay in perpetuity
The Parliamentarian highlighted that Tamil Nadu currently has 65 toll plazas, with at least five toll plazas situated within 10 km of Corporation and municipal limits, and more than 20 toll plazas violating the minimum 60-km distance mandate.
These toll plazas should be removed immediately, he said, recalling the past assurances which have not been kept by the authorities.
He also stressed that the increasing number of toll plazas and annual toll fee hikes were placing an unbearable burden on the people of the country, including those in Tamil Nadu, and are infringing on the fundamental right to free movement.
