GUWAHATI: At least four toll gates on national highways in Assam are likely to be shut down soon. These plazas (or gates) have been built violating the NHAI guidelines, say media reports. As per the fee rules 2008, (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways) the spacing between two adjacent toll plazas should be 60 kilometres. But many toll gates have been set up ignoring the 60-kilometre rule. These gates will closed soon by the ministry.
The four toll plaza Nazirakahat (Sonapur), Madanpur, Galia and Mikirati Hawgaon are likely to be shut down anytime, say reports. An RTI report revealed that there are 189 such toll gates in India that violate the NHAI 60-kilometre rule.
In March this year, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari posted a video on his official twitter account where he said, “It is illegal to have more than one toll plaza for a distance of 60 km and I have told this many times. But it is running as we get money. Now, I assure this House that in the next three months, all additional toll plazas in that 60-km distance will be closed.”
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways says that if a stretch is of lesser length, user fee of actual length only is collected. User fee on a particular fee plaza is based on stretch length under that plaza, structures (bridge, tunnel, bypass) and width of the highways, applicable fee rules and provisions of the concessions agreement, says MoRTH.