New Delhi:

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that highway agencies should not charge tolls if roads are not in good condition.

Mr Gadkari was speaking at a global workshop on satellite-based tolling, set to be implemented over 5,000 km this financial year.

“If you don’t provide good quality service, you should not charge toll…We are in a hurry to start tolling to collect user fees and protect our interest,” the road transport and highways minister said. “You should collect the user fee where you provide the best quality road. If you collect toll on roads with potholes, mud, then there will be a backlash from people,” he added.

State-owned NHAI plans to implement (Global Navigation Satellite System) GNSS-based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system within the existing FASTag ecosystem, initially using a hybrid model where both (Radio Frequency Identification) RFID-based ETC and GNSS-based ETC will operate simultaneously.

NHAI proposes to roll this out on commercial vehicles initially then private vehicles, considering scalability and privacy concerns.

The highway authority has also recommended driver behaviour analysis and back-end data analysis for fraud detection.

“With GNSS, the payment modes might be converted from prepaid to postpaid. Banks and financial institutions might be able to provide faster credits based on travel plans,” NHAI has recommended. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India will hike road toll charges across the country by 3-5% from Monday, officials said, after putting the annual increase on hold in April due to the Lok Sabha elections.

Toll charges in India are revised annually in line with inflation and highway operators put notices in local newspapers announcing hikes of 3% to 5% at nearly 1,100 toll plazas from Monday.

“As the election process is over, the revision of user fee (toll) rates, which was put on hold during the elections, would become effective from June 3,” a senior official at the National Highways Authority of India told Reuters.

The official said hikes in toll charges and taxation on fuel products help pay for the expansion of national highways, but opposition parties and many motorists criticise the annual rise in charges, saying they increase transport costs of essential commodities and burden commuters.

High operators like IRB Infrastructure Developers and Ashok Buildcon Ltd will benefit from the toll increases.

India has invested billions of dollars over the last decade to expand the national highways, with a total length of about 146,000 kilometres, the second-largest global road network.

Toll collections jumped to more than 540 billion rupees ($6.5 billion) in the 2022/23 fiscal year from 252 billion in 2018/19, helped by a rise in road traffic as well as by increases in the number of toll plazas and charges.

India’s general election concluded on Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led alliance projected to win a big majority, TV exit polls showed.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to introduce a revolutionary technology for road maintenance in the country. According to DD News, This technology will enable a road to ‘repair’ itself using a new type of asphalt. This material will be infused with steel fibre and bitumen. If a gap emerges on the road, the bitumen will spread to cover it and along with steel threads, fill the potholes. NHAI official say it will fix the persistent problem of potholes, a major contributor to road accidents and fatalities in the country.

It is, however, not known how long the asphalt will take to cover and ‘repair’ a pothole or gap in the road.

“We are considering ingenious and unconventional methods to improve durability and to address the issue of potholes,” the Economic Times quoted a senior government official as saying.

However, the government will undertake cost-benefit analysis of the project before giving a go-ahead. NHAI is confident that the new technology will increase the lifespan of roads and minimise traffic disruption caused by potholes.

Asphalt is a sustainable paving material used for constructing pavements and highways, along with airport runways, parking lots and driveways. Asphalt ultimately speeds construction, is environmentally friendly, and provides a smooth and quiet ride.

It is made by a mixture of aggregates, binder and filler. Aggregates are mixed with bitumen to create a durable and reliable mixture. Specialised trucks or transporters deliver the hot asphalt mixture to the desired location, where it is spread and compacted using heavy machinery.

But over long period of time, bitumen deteriorates, leading to erosion of the asphalt and the formation of cracks, which eventually evolve into hazardous potholes. The new technology aims to tackle this degradation.

NHAI is a government agency responsible for construction and management of road network of national highways in India.

New Delhi:

The Reserve Bank of India has shut down the Paytm Payments Bank and prohibited them from accepting new clients. After tomorrow, March 15, no new customer accounts, prepaid cards, Paytm Wallets, etc, will accept deposits, credit transactions, or top-ups, which also include FASTags. 

Paytm Bank has been one of the largest issuers of FASTags. Paytm FASTag users are urged to deactivate their accounts by tomorrow and get a new one issued from another NHAI-authorized issuer. 

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has advised “Paytm FASTag users to procure a new FASTag issued by another bank before March 15, 2024. This will help in avoiding penalties or any double fee charges while commuting on National Highways.”

How to close your Paytm FASTag account

1. Visit the Paytm website or log in from the Paytm app.
2. Go to the FASTag section or search for ‘FASTag’ in the app.
3. Go to Settings > Account Management. Look for the ‘close’ or ‘deactivate your FASTag account’ option.
4. Fill in the necessary information.
5. Confirm details.
6. Once the closure request is successfully processed, you will receive a confirmation from Paytm via email or app notification, saying, “Your FASTag will be closed within 5-7 working days. Security deposit and minimum balance maintained will be refunded to your Paytm Payments Bank wallet.”

If you are unable to find the option to close your Paytm FASTag account, reach out to Paytm customer support. 

How to check Paytm FASTag status

1. Dial the Paytm support toll-free number: 1800-120-4210
2. Mention the mobile number associated with your FASTag account, along with the Registration number of the vehicle or the FASTag ID.
3. A customer support agent will connect with you to confirm the closing of your FASTag account. 

How to check if Paytm FASTag is active or not

You can check it under the “Manage Tags” section in your FASTag sub-wallet on the Paytm app or website.

Paytm FASTag users can continue to use the existing balance to pay tolls beyond the stipulated date. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has advised Paytm FASTag users to obtain a new FASTag from another bank before March 15 to ensure a smooth travel experience and avoid inconvenience at toll plazas, an official statement said on March 13.

This will help avoid penalties or double fee charges while commuting on National Highways, as per the statement.

Following the Reserve Bank of India’s guidelines on restrictions concerning Paytm Payments Bank, the statement said Paytm FASTag users will no longer have the option to recharge or top-up their balance after March 15, 2024.

However, they can continue to use the existing balance to pay tolls beyond the stipulated date, it added.

NHAI also advised Paytm FASTag users to reach out to their respective banks or refer to the FAQs provided on the IHMCL (Indian Highway Management Company Limited) website.

New Delhi:

The government is working on developing electric highways as it is economically viable, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.

Nitin Gadkari has earlier said that making India’s first electric highway between Delhi and Jaipur is his dream.

“My idea about the electric highway is that NHAI will give right of way…Today, I had a discussion with the Power Ministry, I am trying to get electricity at the rate of Rs 3.50 per unit, otherwise, the commercial power rate is Rs 11 per unit,” Nitin Gadkari said at the ACMA annual session here.

The minister noted that it is easy for the power ministry to give electricity to a government company at a cheaper rate.

“Electric highway is very very economically viable…I will give all the rights to private sector investors who are going to invest (in the electric highway project),” he added.

Nitin Gadkari further said that electric cable construction will be executed by private investors and NHAI will charge an electric tariff just like toll.

Electric highways cater to electric traction for vehicles in the same manner as is done for railways. This is based on prevalent technology in a large number of countries like Sweden and Norway.

This involves the provision of power cables, which can be utilised by a vehicle which caters to this type of technology. The vehicle will utilise the power from this cable for its traction. At present, the ministry is evaluating various technologies.

“We are making the first electric highway pilot project in Nagpur,” he said.

The minister also pointed out that India is the fastest growing major economy, and the automobile sector is the pride for India.

According to Nitin Gadkari, the size of the automobile industry currently is Rs 12.50 lakh crore, up from Rs 4.15 lakh crore in 2014, when he took charge as the road transport and highways minister.

Noting that the import of fossil fuel is constantly increasing, he said it is time for the country to find a solution to this crisis. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)