India will do away with toll booths within one-year: Nitin Gadkari

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said 93 per cent of the vehicles pay toll using FASTag, but the remaining 7 per cent have still not taken it despite paying a double toll.

File pic: Zee News

New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday (March 18) that India will do away with toll booths and implement complete GPS-based toll collection within one year. 

During Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, Gadkari said 93 per cent of the vehicles pay toll using FASTag, but the remaining 7 per cent have still not taken it despite paying a double toll.

Nitin Gadkari said, "I want to assure the House that within one year all physical toll booths in the country will be removed. It means that toll collection will happen via GPS. The money will be collected based on GPS imaging (on vehicles)."

Making the tags compulsory would also help in ensuring that vehicles pass seamlessly through the toll plazas, as the fee payment would be done electronically.

The Union minister said that new vehicles have FasTags fitted in them, while the government has said it will give free FASTags for old vehicles.