New Delhi, 11 May (H.S.): Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated the Multi‑Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier‑less tolling system at the Mundka–Bakkarwala toll plaza on UER‑II in Delhi. This is the second such tolling system in the country. The first was launched on May 2 at the Choryasi toll plaza on the Surat–Bharuch stretch of NH‑48 in Gujarat.

On the occasion, Union Ministers of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra and Ajay Tamta, West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sahrawat, North West Delhi MP Yogendra Chandolia, and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav were present. NHAI officials also briefed the Union Minister on the functioning of the new tolling system.

Vehicles will no longer need to stop or even slow down at this toll plaza. Under this system, vehicles will be identified through high‑resolution cameras, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), radar, LiDAR, and the FASTag‑based digital network. As soon as a vehicle passes through the toll plaza, the toll amount will be automatically deducted from its FASTag account.

According to NHAI, the system is fully barrier‑less and does not require any physical gate or manual intervention. Vehicles will be able to pass through the toll plaza at normal highway speed without stopping. This is expected to significantly reduce long queues and traffic congestion. Continuous movement of vehicles will also cut travel time, save fuel, and reduce vehicular emissions.

Officials said the system is entirely digital and based on real‑time monitoring. It will make toll collection more transparent and eliminate the possibility of revenue leakage.

The system will also allow monitoring of traffic movement, audit trails, and data analytics.

According to NHAI, the first phase of the system includes 17 toll plazas across nine states. Gujarat’s Choryasi toll plaza is already operational, while Delhi’s Mundka toll plaza is now active. Several toll plazas in Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Assam will be linked to the MLFF system in phases by September.

In the second phase, more than 108 toll plazas are planned to be brought under the system by March 2027.

NHAI also said that a strict enforcement mechanism has been put in place for vehicles that do not pay toll. If a vehicle’s FASTag is found to be blacklisted, low on balance, or invalid, the system will automatically generate an e‑notice for double toll charges. The concerned FASTag will remain suspended until the outstanding payment is cleared and will not work for any FASTag‑based facility.

The authority further stated that an NOC required for ownership transfer of vehicles with pending toll dues will not be issued. For commercial vehicles, renewal of fitness certificates and issuance of national permits have also been linked mandatorily to clearance of pending toll payments. Statutory provisions for this have been implemented through gazette notifications dated January 13 and March 17.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar