Free flow fee plaza (PTI image)
NEW DELHI: Busting the perception that people evade paying pending highway toll, NHAI on Monday said half of those who received e-notices after the first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF), or barrierless tolling, started on NH-48 in Gujarat have paid their dues — around Rs 30 lakh.E-notices, issued to vehicle owners for failure to pay toll, were started from May 1 after NHAI’s tolling and technology arm, IHMCL, rolled out the MLFF system. Road transport minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the second such facility in Delhi on Monday.“This seamless system will make travel easy as no one needs to stop. It will save time and fuel, and NHAI expenses towards toll collection. We will save at least Rs 6,000-7,000 crore annually. It will also plug leakage of toll revenue. People don’t mind paying toll, if it’s seamless,” he told TOI.NHAI chairman Santosh Yadav said that 50% vehicle owners clearing pending toll “proves the hypothesis that people are generally law abiding”. He added that IHMCL has so far bid out 17 MLFF plazas and bids for another 108 have been floated.Gadkari said once all 700 toll plazas become barrier-less, it is estimated to save Rs 295 crore per year in terms of fuel and help reduce 81,000 tonnes of CO2 emission, besides reduction in travel time and enhancement of logistics efficiency. “Our operational cost of toll collection to 3-4% from the current 12-15% and this savings will be utilised for more highway projects,” Gadkari said.The minister said high power cameras installed at MLFF toll plazas will also help curb traffic violations. Yadav said learning from the first MLFF tolling, measures will be taken at the subsequent toll plazas to alert drivers about the approaching barrier-less tolling location.Yadav also announced several initiatives which will be rolled out soon to inform and alert drivers about diversions, fog, cattle and landslide prone areas on their mobile phones and also to track an ambulance in case of emergency. These alerts will be shown on the navigation apps.