Vehicle user fees to be hiked in 28 toll plazas across TN

CHENNAI: Vehicle user fees at toll plazas on the National Highways are to be increased at 28 toll gates in State from September 1, amid demands for doing away with the toll plazas.

According to the National Highways sources, the fee hike comes into effect annually as per the concessionaire agreement.

The toll fee was hiked based on the wholesale price index as per the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. The State has 50 toll plazas set up by NHAI, and among them, the user fee is revised in 28 toll gates every year on September 1, while the rest of the plazas undergo fee revision on April 1.

NHAI sources said that the hike would be nominal varying from five to 10 per cent in the toll plazas across the State.

PMK president and Rajya Sabha MP Anbumani Ramadoss, in a statement, alleged that his party has been alleging a lack of transparency in the toll collection. “As per the rules, the user fees should be collected for 15 years or until they get back their capital investment. After that, they have to collect only the maintenance charge alone. But it was not followed in the Tamil Nadu,” he charged.

S Yuvaraj, the president, of Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owner’s Federation, said that considering the steep increase in the number of vehicles on the road, the toll charges should be reduced with increasing vehicle movement on the toll plazas. “Instead, the NHAI has been hiking the charges every year,” he said, adding that the union government has not considered the lorry association’s offer to pay one-time toll charges to do away with the toll plazas.

“In Tamil Nadu, the State government has said that 32 toll plazas tenure was completed where only maintenance charge should be collected. As many as 12 toll plazas were set up within the city limits across the State as against the rules, ” he said.