In line with inflation, the NHAI raised highway tolls across the country by 3-5%. The changes impact about 1,100 toll plazas.
Road toll rates in India will increase by 3-5% starting on Monday, according to officials. The yearly increase was postponed in April because of the national elections.
A top official at the National Highways Authority of India told Reuters that “the revision of user fee (toll) rates, which was put on hold during the elections, would become effective from June 3” now that the election process is over.
According to the official, increases in gasoline product taxes and tolls help fund the construction of new national highways. However, opposition parties and a large number of drivers object to the yearly increases in fees, arguing that they burden commuters and raise the cost of transporting necessities.
The hike will be advantageous to high operators like Ashok Buildcon Ltd. and IRB Infrastructure Developers.
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With billions of dollars invested over the past ten years, India now has the second-largest road network in the world, stretching over 146,000 kilometers.
Due in part to an increase in road traffic as well as more plazas and fees, toll receipts increased from 252 billion rupees ($6.5 billion) in the 2018/19 fiscal year to over 540 billion rupees ($6.5 billion) in the 2022–2023 fiscal year.
TV exit polls indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s alliance, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was expected to secure a sizable majority at the end of India’s general election on Saturday.
