MCD races against October 31 deadline to operationalise multi-lane free-flow toll system at 20 Delhi entry points

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is racing to meet the October 31 deadline for installing a multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling system at 20 major entry points into the capital. While overhead gantries have been installed at the selected locations, the remaining equipment, including control systems, is expected to be put in place over the next few days, according to a report by The Times of India.

The civic body plans to conduct trial runs at all 20 locations next week. The new system is aimed at reducing traffic congestion at Delhi's borders by allowing commercial vehicles to pass through toll points without stopping for payments.

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The first phase covers 20 of Delhi's 154 toll points, which together account for nearly 85% of the traffic entering the city. Major locations include Ghazipur, Rajokri, Badarpur, Dwarka, Aya Nagar and the Delhi-Gurgaon corridor. The remaining toll points are expected to be brought under the system by the end of December.

The project follows directions from the Supreme Court to introduce barrier-free tolling at Delhi's border plazas to ease congestion and curb pollution. In December 2025, the court had raised concerns over traffic snarls at these points and questioned whether toll collection could be temporarily suspended or shifted to reduce congestion.

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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had also flagged the contribution of long queues and idling vehicles at nine MCD border toll booths to winter air pollution.

Under the new arrangement, toll tax and environmental compensation charge (ECC) will be collected automatically through radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. Vehicles fitted with RFID tags will be charged as they pass under overhead gantries, while high-definition cameras will capture their registration numbers for verification.

Each entry point will have RFID readers, antennas, surveillance cameras and infrared illumination units. Two overhead gantries, one primary and another backup, are being installed in each direction, around 200 metres before the existing toll plazas.

Vehicles recorded passing through the system without paying the applicable toll tax or ECC will receive digital notices.

A senior MCD official told TOI, “We aim to complete the work within a limited timeframe, and have moved quickly in this regard. The work order was issued in June after anticipatory approval, but permission from NHAI to implement the system on major roads was received only on Sept 15.”

The MCD standing committee formally approved the project on Friday. Under the tender, the selected agency will design, develop, commission, operate and maintain the MLFF infrastructure for six years.

Traffic congestion at the Ghazipur toll plaza over the past three days, including on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and its side carriageway, despite the installation of gantries at the locations.

(With inputs from TOI)