Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the implementation of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)--based toll collection system at select national highways, terminating the existing traditional toll collection methods.
Gadkari, in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, said a pilot study on the GNSS-based user fee collection system has been conducted on the Bengaluru-Mysore section of NH-275 in Karnataka and the Panipat-Hisar section of NH-709 in Haryana.
He mentioned that a stakeholder consultation was conducted via an international workshop on June 25, 2024. Additionally, a global expression of interest (EOI) for broader industrial consultation was invited on June 7, 2024, with a submission deadline of July 22, 2024.
The minister stated that the road ministry has developed a master plan for national highways to enhance logistics. This plan included provisions for expressways and high-speed highways and was prepared under the PM Gatishakti Framework using a transportation model that analyzed data from e-way bills (GST), tolls, and traffic surveys, he said as quoted by PTI.
He said 697 national highway projects initiated around a decade ago have exceeded their original completion timelines.
The main causes of these delays include land acquisition issues, statutory clearances, utility shifting, encroachment removal, law and order problems, contractor financial difficulties, poor contractor performance, and force majeure events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, heavy rainfall, floods, cyclones, landslides, and avalanches.
Additionally, the ministry has a series of projects in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and tendering stages to enhance construction progress during the current and next fiscal years, he mentioned.
Gadkari also noted that approximately ₹1.94 crore has been spent so far to clear two bills related to rescue and relief operations at the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand.
"A few bills have not been paid. Expenditure made on rescue and relief operations is on account of the engineering company," the minister added.
(With PTI inputs)
