Travelling to or from Chennai by road will be costlier from the end of this month as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to increase user fees at four toll plazas on the city’s outskirts. The increase will range from 5 to 20 per trip.
Furthermore, the expense of travelling to Bengaluru and to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu is set to rise up to 150 from April 1 due to rate hikes at several toll plazas situated on major national highway routes throughout Tamil Nadu.
This adjustment in fees comes amid the DMK’s promises in the Lok Sabha election manifesto to eliminate all toll plazas if the INDIA bloc forms a govt at Centre.
Union road transport ministry had already made two key announcements regarding this issue. Firstly, toll charges will now be based on the distance a vehicle travels, determined using GPS technology. Secondly, fees will be reduced by 40% at toll plazas where the initial capital investment has been fully recouped.
NHAI Chennai Region, as per the ministry’s statement, was expected to lower fees first at the Parandur toll plaza in Chengalpet, as the capital costs for these sites, established in 2005, have long been recovered, said S Yuvraj of the TN lorry owners association.
Yuvraj criticized NHAI, stating that despite collecting substantial revenues, only a small portion has been allocated to maintain highway stretches.
He highlighted the poor condition of the Sriperumbudur-Kancheepuram section of the Chennai-Bengaluru highway, which has been plagued by potholes and craters for several months. He notes that while the road should ideally have been expanded to eight lanes by now, only six-lane expansion efforts are currently underway.
