India is all set to become ‘toll free’ within the next few years

The Road Transport, Highways, and MSMEs Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the Government has already finalised a GPS-based toll collection system to ascertain seamless movement of vehicles and that such a system will ensure that the country becomes toll-free in the next two years. He informed this while addressing the ASSOCHAM Foundation Week Programme being held in New Delhi.
He said that the toll amount in the new system will be deducted from the bank account and it will be based on the movement of the vehicles. Already the commercial vehicles are coming fitted with vehicle tracking systems and going forward the government will also come up with some plans to install GPS technology in older vehicles as well, he added.
The Minister was hopeful of toll collections reaching Rs 34,000 crore by March and that in the next five years it will be Rs 1,34,000 crore. He said industrial development is the key for employment generation as well as poverty eradication, however, industries in India are currently centralised in urban areas. He also highlighted the need to promote Public-Private investment for infrastructure development while assuring Government’s support in those projects which are not economically viable.