New Delhi, August 30(HS):

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken a pioneering step towards modernizing toll collection by signing an agreement with ICICI Bank to implement the country’s first comprehensive Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system. The landmark project will be launched at the Choryasi Fee Plaza on NH-48 in Gujarat, marking the nation’s first barrier-free toll plaza. The agreement was signed in the presence of NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav and senior officials from NHAI, IHMCL, and ICICI Bank at the NHAI headquarters in New Delhi.

MLFF technology enables seamless, barrier-less Electronic Toll Collection through FASTag, utilizing high-performance RFID readers and ANPR cameras to read FASTag and Vehicle Registration Numbers (VRN) without requiring vehicles to stop. This innovation promises to drastically reduce congestion and travel time at toll plazas, improve fuel efficiency, lower vehicle emissions, and enhance toll revenue collection.

In tandem, a similar agreement was signed for implementing MLFF at the Gharaunda Fee Plaza in Haryana on NH-44. NHAI plans to expand this advanced tolling system across approximately 25 National Highway fee plazas within the current financial year as part of its technology-driven transformation vision for a smarter, faster, and more efficient highway network nationwide.

Santosh Kumar Yadav highlighted that MLFF represents a significant milestone towards creating a transparent, user-friendly, and efficient tolling ecosystem for India’s highways, setting the stage for nationwide adoption.

This initiative marks a critical step in leveraging technology to revolutionize tolling and overall National Highway operations across India.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar