NHAI suspends 14 Toll Collection agencies over irregularities following fraud investigation
In a strong move against toll collection irregularities, the state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has debarred 14 toll collection agencies for engaging in improper activities. The action follows an investigation initiated after the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) uncovered a fraud, as revealed in an official statement.
NHAI has issued show-cause notices to the agencies involved in the misconduct. Based on the findings of the FIR, 13 user fee-collecting agencies have also been temporarily debarred for a two-year period.
Furthermore, in response to faulty toll collections on National Highways, the government has processed 12.55 lakh refunds in 2024, with the details shared in Parliament on Thursday.
The 14 agencies that have been debarred include AK Construction, Alok Buildtech Pvt Ltd, Anil Kumar Shukla, Ashish Agarwal, Innovision Ltd, MB Construction, Maa Narmada Traders, RK Jain Infra Projects, SPC Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, T. Suryanarayana Reddy, Vanshika Construction, Westwell Iron & Steel Pvt Ltd, Bhola Nath Rajpati Shukla, and Shiva Buildtech Pvt Ltd.
As part of corrective measures, NHAI has imposed fines exceeding Rs 2 crore on user fee collecting agencies involved in incorrect toll fee deductions.
Issues like double charging and wrongful toll fee deductions often arise due to incorrect Vehicle Registration Numbers (VRNs) being entered in the system, sometimes caused by human error or multiple FASTag readings.
To ensure uninterrupted operations at the affected toll plazas, NHAI will require the defaulting agencies to transfer the management of these plazas to a new agency, which will be appointed by the authority.
