Toll for rail overbridges soon

NEW DELHI: Commuters may soon have to pay for crossing the busy rail overbridges (ROB) as the government is planning to toll the ROBs and use the sum collected for funding state highways. The Centre has asked states to explore the possibility of tolling ROBs where heavy traffic crosses the railway line and use the sum to construct and maintain roads.

“Besides external funding, state governments may look at tolling ROBs constructed at level crossings where heavy traffic crosses the railway line. This would help them part-fund the highway projects. They may also examine external funding as a possible source of finance for the development of selected highways,” an official in the ministry of shipping, road transport & highways (MoSRTH) said. In the current fiscal, the Centre has allocated only Rs 1,566 crore for state roads from the central road fund (CRF).

A number of states have established road construction corporations to augment resources through market borrowing. Apart from the Centre’s resources, states are planning to encourage private participation in the state highway projects during the 11th Five-Year Plan. In this regard, a model concession agreement (MCA) for private-public participation (PPP) has been finalised.

The government plans to connect all district headquarters with two-lane national and state highways during the ensuing Five-Year Plan. It plans to construct a core network with a length of 71,500 km across all states at a cost of Rs 80,000 crore.