One toll tag for Delhi-Mumbai national highway from August

zip across Delhi-Mumbai highway without stopping at any of the toll plazas with a single radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. Electronic toll collection (ETC) at 50 toll plazas on the golden quadrilateral (GQ) network will start in the next six months with each tag costing about Rs 400.

Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI, has appointed ICICI BankBSE -2.02 % to set up the central clearing house (CCH) that will collect toll charges through electronic mode and distribute the funds to developers.

A senior highways ministry official said as per the CCH service contract, ETC will be implemented on identified toll plazas across GQ. There are about 80 toll plazas on the entire GQ. Toll plazas on ast-west and north-south (EW-NS) corridors would be covered under this scheme by October.

To begin with, at least one toll lane on each side of the corridor will be enabled to process the RFID tag so that commuters don’t have to stop at gates to pay in cash. “The installation of hardware at toll plazas will be expedited. Every time an RFID tag user crosses a toll plaza, there will be an alert on the name of the plaza and how much toll has been deducted from the card,” said an official. He said while many of the new vehicles produced after January this year have inbuilt RFID tags, these stickers will be made available at toll plazas, petrol pumps and even at banks. The bank will set up a mechanism for recharging the tags apart from online recharge.

IMHCL has asked the bank to keep the charges affordable – approximately Rs 400 per tag – which will include Rs 300 as security amount. Sources said the buyers will have to submit details of their identity.
“Introduction of ETC will prove far more helpful for cargo operators since they can get instant alerts to find the exact location of their vehicle. It will also help in checking vehicle theft and detecting crimes,” said an official.