New Delhi: After announcing the annual toll pass for private cars on NHS, the Ministry of Road Transport has informed a new rule to reduce the toll rate for structures such as bridges, tunnels, flyovers or high classes. This will provide relief for commercial and heavy vehicles, especially on toll classes that have structures.On 27 June, TOI first reported the government’s decision to rationalize the toll.Till now the toll charge for structures on NHS and expressway under the central government was 10 times more than the general user fee. But on June 1, according to the new amendments for the notified NH toll fee rules, there will be two functions to calculate the toll charge and whatever is low will apply.According to the new criteria, the calculation of toll charge for a section of NH consisting of structure or structures is 10 times more in the length of the non-structure or normal road or five times the total length of a toll NH section, whichever is less.This will bring great relief for those who use highway stretch which have more than 50% length as structures.For example, if a toll section of NH is 40 km – 30 km structure and 10 km normal road – then minimum length will be calculated as a total length of 10×30 + 10 = 310 km or five times section which is 5×40 = 200 km. So, in this case, the toll charge will be collected for 200 km because it is low.But suppose, if there is 10 km structures and 30 km normal road in a 40 km toll stretch, the minimum length will be calculated as 10×10 + 30 = 130 km or five times the total length of the section which is 5×40 = 200 km. So, in this case, the toll charge will be collected for 130 km, something that is now in practice.If the entire told corridor has one or more structures, the toll charge will be reduced by only 50%.
