Question : Traffic Jam on Toll Plazas

(a) whether the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has issued any notification providing userfee exemption or fixed any stipulated time limit in case of time taken for crossing the toll plaza exceeding more than three minutes;

(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) whether the Government is working to ease the long traffic jams and facilitate early exit to vehicles from toll plazas; and

(d) if so, the details of the action plan in this regard, State-wise especially in Kerala?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI PON. RADHAKRISHNAN)

(a) &(b) No, Madam.The exemption to users from paying user fee is notified by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in accordance with the National Highways Fee (Determination or Rates & Collection) Rules, 2008, as amended.

(c) Yes, Madam.

(d) Government has rolled out a cashless payment mechanism (FASTag) by implementation of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based Electronic Fee Collection (EFC) system on pan India basis w.e.f. 25.04.2016. The initiative provides seamless travel (near non-stop movement of vehicles) through the fee plazas on National Highways and convenience of cashless payment of user fee.EFC infrastructure is provided for single lanes on each side of the carriage-wayat fee plazas.Till 02.08.2017, 361 number of fee plazas have been made EFC enabled. This also includes the 3 number fee plazas viz. Pampampallm (District-Palakkad), Kumbalam (District-Ernakulam) &Paliyekkara (District-Thrissur) in the state of Kerala.

*****