New Delhi: In a decision which will benefit commuters on highways and bypasses, the Central government has decided to cut toll rates on highways, which have more than 50 per cent structures, like flyovers, tunnels or underpasses, said a report in the Times of India. The government said that the toll rates of such highways will be halved and capped at 5 times the normal toll. Till now the toll was capped at 10 times the normal toll.
Relief for inter-city commuters
The Road Transport Ministry has given a go-ahead for the changes, which will be notified in a couple of days. This new rule will help commuters travelling inter-city using the national Highways, Ring Roads and bypasses, which have more such structures.
The Dwarka Expressway is one such example of a highway with structures. The commuter using it on a regular basis will benefit from this new rule of the government.
As per the current rules regarding toll fee on Highways, every kilometre of elevated stretch or tunnel is 10 times the user fee collected for a kilometre of normal highway stretch. The government collects more money on elevated stretches in order to recover the money used in building these structures. These elevated roads and tunnels are more capital-intensive than the regular Highways.
As an example an official said that a one-way trip on the Dwarka Expressway currently costs Rs 317, but once the new norm comes into force, the cost will be cut to just Rs 153. The changes will benefit commercial and heavy vehicles, he added.
