Fast track: NH-8 wins toll race
Average toll collection on national highways No. 8 (NH-8) is the highest in the country. It generates Rs 401 crore per month for the Centre.
By Priyanka Talwar, TNN |
NEW DELHI: Average toll collection on national highways No. 8 (NH-8) is the highest in the country. It generates Rs 401 crore per month for the Centre.
The Centre gets an average collection of Rs 3 lakh per km from public-funded stretches. On NH-8, the government earns Rs 48.6 lakh per km every month which translates into more than Rs 401 crore for the 827 km stretch that is publicly funded.
The most profitable of the publicly-funded stretches on NH 8 is the Kotputli-Chandwazi section in Rajasthan, with an average collection of more than Rs 7 lakh per kilometre according to NHAI data for November.
“The Delhi-Gurgaon stretch on NH 8 has seen an increase in vehicle traffic from 1,00,000 five years back to almost 2,00,000 vehicles per day at present,” an official in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said. In the case of the Bilaspur toll plaza on the 120.5 km long Gurgaon- Kotputli section of NH 8, the total collection made in the month of November was about Rs 5 crore.
“Toll collection depends on two factors, traffic volume and tolling rate. NH 1 and NH 8 carry an enormous volume of traffic in the country,” he said. NH-1comprises of 484.5 km passing through the states of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. NH 8, which is 1502.78 km long, runs through Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
ADVERTISEMENT
NH-1too witnesses heavy toll revenue due to the heavy traffic moving along Panipat, Ambala and Khanna. The average per km toll collection from Panipat-Ambala and Ambala-Khanna is Rs 4.6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively. Amongst the lowest per km toll collections, Rithola-Udaipur in Rajasthan on NH-76 and Bommuru-Gondugolanu on NH-5 in Andhra Pradesh earn the government less than Rs one lakh.The profitability of tolled national highways has made the sector extremely competitive and attractive. The government has given first preference to build-operate-transfer (BOT) toll projects. So far, 69 projects valued at about Rs 17,247.46 crore have been awarded on BOT toll basis.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
