The dilapidated condition of many national highways across the country has long been a source of inconvenience for the public. The continued collection of tolls despite broken roads, potholes, and slow repairs has fueled public anger. Several High Courts and the Supreme Court have commented on this issue, stating that it is inappropriate to collect tolls from vehicles amid poor road conditions. The Ministry of Road Transport has now become active in finding a permanent solution to this problem. The Ministry is preparing to formulate a policy that will provide for the suspension of toll collection or the reduction of toll rates on roads in poor condition.
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Expert Committee to Set Standards
According to a Times of India report, the Ministry of Road Transport has formed an expert panel. This panel will determine the conditions and standards for deciding whether tolls should be completely stopped or temporarily reduced on a national highway. Until now, there was no uniform rule on this issue, leading to numerous cases being taken to court. Several High Courts have also stated that collecting tolls on poor roads is unfair to the public. The Supreme Court has also previously stated clearly that people cannot be forced to pay tolls for broken and dilapidated roads.
Road quality will now be measurable
There are many highways in the country where potholes or minor damage occur only in some areas, but stopping tolls altogether would result in revenue loss for the government. On the other hand, many highways remain in poor condition for months, yet full tolls are still charged, causing public dissatisfaction. To address this imbalance, a committee will now assess the actual quality of roads through measurable parameters. This will include parameters such as the number of potholes, road strength, travel time, frequency of repairs, and state of maintenance. The committee will submit its report to the ministry within a month.
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The government’s focus is on creating clear and transparent rules
A senior ministry official stated that the first step will be developing clear and objective standards that link road maintenance and toll collection. According to the official, stopping tolls based on the discovery of only a few potholes will not always be rational. Therefore, the assessment of inconvenience should be based on a measurable approach, not an emotional one. The ministry will decide on further action based on the panel’s report, and a new toll collection system will likely be implemented nationwide soon.