Toll tax hike: NHAI increases charges from Monday, to be rised by...

Road toll tax are set to be increased from Monday (June 3). Toll charges will be hiked by 3-5 per cent across the country, Reuters reported quoting officials. The toll charges in India are revised annually in line with inflation. However, due to Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the annual increase was put on hold. "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 NHAI told the news agency.

From June 3, toll taxes will be hiked at nearly 1,100 toll plazas across India including the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and Eastern Peripheral Expressway. 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 country has the second-largest global road network.

The toll tax is a charge that vehicle drivers have to pay while crossing certain interstate expressways, national and state highways. They fall under the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) control. However, there is no toll tax for pedestrians and two-wheelers are exempt from paying toll charges. Opposition parties and several motorists criticise the annual rise in charges, saying they increase transport costs of essential commodities and burden commuters.

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