Road Minister Nitin Gadkari says highway agencies shouldn’t charge tolls for bad roads. He spoke at a workshop about a new satellite-based toll system.
“Only charge tolls for good quality roads,” Gadkari told agencies. “People will be upset if you make them pay for roads with holes or mud.”
The government’s road agency, NHAI, plans to use a new GPS-like system for collecting tolls. They’ll start with a mix of the current FASTag system and the new satellite system.
NHAI will begin with trucks and then move to private cars. They’re thinking about how to grow the system and keep people’s information safe. The new system might also check how people drive and look for cheating.
With the new system, drivers might pay after their trips instead of before. Banks might give money faster based on travel plans.
Gadkari also talked about making road building more flexible. He thinks builders should invest more in projects if they can.
The new satellite toll system could increase India’s toll money by at least ₹10,000 crore. Last year, India collected ₹64,809.86 crore in tolls, which was 35% more than the year before.