From April 1, pay more for driving on toll roads

April 1, 2010

NEW DELHI: High inflation rate is set to make your travel expensive on tolled highways from April 1. As per revised toll notifications issued by NHAI for about two dozen sections of national highways, the increase in toll rate per km for the year 2010-11 is approximately double than the average increase in the past two years.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which revised toll rates for 23 NH stretches across the country on Tuesday, fixed the per km user fee for cars at 76 paise, five paise more than that last year.

Interestingly, a comparison of the increase in toll fee shows that between 2007-08 and 2009-10 the user charge went up from 65 paise to 71 paise.

“But this year the revised toll fee is higher due to steep increase in the wholesale price index (WPI). The WPI impacted an increase of toll by 7%, which is significant,” said an NHAI official.

Moreover, the user charge could pinch more for commuters using long distance tolled roads. NHAI sources said that the final toll amount is rounded off close to Rs 5 denominations. “For example, if one covers 50 km of toll road, now he has to pay Rs 40 whereas earlier the user fee for the similar stretch was only Rs 35,” said an NHAI official.

He added that user fee of major chunk of BOT-toll highways will be revised by July-end. “If the present trend of inflation continues, the hike in user fee will be higher. Many of these stretches are longer than the tolled state funded highways,” said another official.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com