Toll collection to go fully non-stop on national highways as high-tech free flow system begins
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): There is good news for drivers traveling on national highways. Vehicles will no longer need to stop for toll payment at the Bastara toll plaza in Karnal district, Haryana. A Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system is being introduced here, under which toll will be deducted automatically while vehicles continue moving.
According to officials, the MLFF system at the Bastara toll plaza is almost ready. Once it becomes operational, it will be the second toll plaza in India to offer completely barrier-free toll collection.
Under the new system, high-performance RFID readers and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be used. Toll will be collected electronically through FASTag and vehicle registration numbers without any stoppage. Bastara toll plaza manager Mukesh Sharma said that installation work is in its final stage. After the system is fully activated, the existing toll booths and barriers will be removed. The new arrangement is expected to start by January 26.
Located on National Highway-44 (Panipat–Jalandhar), the Bastara toll plaza spreads across around 500 meters and falls under the Gharaunda sub-division. It will become the second MLFF toll plaza in the country.
Earlier, the Choriyasi toll plaza on National Highway-48 in Gujarat was developed as India’s first barrier-free toll plaza. That project was implemented with the support of Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a subsidiary of NHAI, in collaboration with ICICI Bank.
An agreement related to the new tolling system was signed on August 30 at the NHAI headquarters in New Delhi. At the time, NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav stated that this advanced technology-based toll system would be more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly, paving the way for smart tolling across the country. Reports suggest that NHAI plans to roll out the MLFF system at around 25 national highway toll plazas nationwide in the coming years.