Nitin Gadkari to launch electronic toll system on October 31

NEW DELHI: Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the electronic toll collection system on October 31, a few days later than planned earlier.

"The launching of the Electronic Toll Collection ( ETC) system has been rescheduled. The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari will now inaugurate the system on October 31 instead of October 27," an official statement said.

ETC has already been installed at 55 Toll Plazas and their integration with Central Clearing House (CCH) operators has almost been completed on the Delhi-Mumbai route via Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

A pilot project for Interoperable ETC system of 10 toll plazas between Mumbai (Charoti) and Ahmadabad has already been tested and seamless ETC on this section is successfully in operation.

The central government has issued orders to incorporate ETC lanes as a mandatory clause in the contracts awarded for all the highways projects in future.

"Action will be taken to include ETC system by means of supplementary agreement in those projects which have not yet been started," the statement said.

For implementing ETC across the country, a new company under Company's Act 1956, with equity participation from NHAI (25 per cent), Concessionaires (50 per cent) and Financial Institutions (25 per cent) has already been constituted. The name of the new company is " Indian Highways Management Company Limited".

The company's objectives include collection of toll through ETC and to manage the project and commercially provide services of central ETC system.

Necessary amendments have already been made in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989 for fitment of Radio Frequency Identification tag on vehicles for ETC.