New Delhi, February 12 The government has amended the national highways fee rules to lower toll fees for users of partially operational National Expressways.
The amended rules will come into effect from February 15, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said in a statement on Thursday.
The government has notified an amendment to the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, it said.
Under this, when a National Expressway is not fully open, the toll fee will be charged for the completed length at a lower rate as applicable for the National Highway, the Ministry said.
It said that currently, the user fee on National Expressways is charged 25 per cent more than the normal National Highway user fee for the completed length, as they provide access-controlled, faster, and seamless travel experience, which provides comfortable travel for commuters.
This fee is levied for the completed section even if the Expressway is not fully open along its entire length. Under the new provision, when a National Expressway is not fully open, the toll fee will be charged for the completed length at a lower rate as applicable for the National Highway Section under National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, the Ministry explained.
The amendment is aimed at promoting the use of National Expressways to encourage users to travel through the opened stretches, which will help in decongesting existing National Highway routes parallel to the Expressways, enabling faster movement of logistics and passengers, as well as reducing pollution due to traffic congestion on old National Highways. The rule will be valid for up to one year from the date the amendment comes into force, or until the Expressway becomes fully operational, whichever is earlier.