The NHAI will be increasing the toll rates ranging from Rs.35 to Rs.115 at around 25 toll plazas across the state. This increase in rates comes as there has been a growing demand from public for removing toll plazas particularly in the urban limits. Despite a request from state highways minister E V Velu to the NHAI, an agency under the Union Road Transport Ministry, no action has been taken.
NHAI data reveals that toll collections in Tamil Nadu amount to at least Rs. 4,221 crore annually, with the Thopur plaza alone collecting Rs.269 crore.
Traders have cautioned that the toll hike will have a cascading effect on the prices of essential goods, while private bus operators are likely to hike ticket fares in response.
Toll operators claim that despite a decade of operation, they still haven’t recovered 40% of costs spent on road construction and maintenance, necessitating the toll hike to cover expenses and ensure employee wages.
