'Cars Can Cross Toll Plazas At 80 Kmph Soon': Nitin Gadkari On New Tech

Think twice before speeding on the highway, especially between two toll plazas. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari's announcement that by next year all cars will be able to cross toll plazas at 80 kmph has an inbuilt component of enforcement of traffic rules.

The new satellite-based toll fee system that will start working from 2026 involves high-speed cameras taking photos of number plates and FASTag stickers, after which the system will deduct the toll fee automatically from the account linked to the vehicle.

"I want to assure you that by 2026, cars will pass through (toll plazas) in no time at a speed of 80 kmph. The camera will take a picture of the number plate and FASTag, and the tax will be cut from the bank accounts," Gadkari said in parliament.

How would this automatic toll fare collection system likely lead to better enforcement?

A car that's speeding will reach the next toll plaza much faster than what it would usually take. This would make it obvious the car had been speeding, which will attract an automatic fine.

Gadkari said the technology that will make measurement of speed and other variables possible would be satellite-based, and backed up by artificial intelligence. Not making vehicles wait at busy toll plazas would save fuel worth Rs 1,500 store, and also add Rs 6,000 crore to the government's rainy day fund.

"We have taken strict actions over quality (of roads), but we are only responsible for national highways, not state highways. I am not responsible for city roads and rural roads. Seventy per cent of the issues raised do not have a relation to us. For national highways, we recently decided that the contractors doing poor work will be debarred for two years. If required, we will take action against corporators under the CrPC but will not tolerate below-quality work," Gadkari said in parliament.

Other benefits of the satellite-based toll collection include reduced cost of operations as a large workforce won't be needed at toll plaza due to the autonomous nature of the system. The sensors will be a combination of automatic number plate recognition with AI analytics and RFID-based electronic toll collection.