The Hindu
The Chennai-Bangalore Highway will be the first in South India where
RFID tags are to be introduced.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will
soon launch a system of electronic toll collection on the
Chennai-Bangalore National Highway. This is part of its efforts to
introduce this system throughout the country.
This will be done by
fitting radio frequency ID tags (RFID) on vehicles. The State Bank of
India has been chosen as the financial institution that will be in
charge of collecting the proceeds and distributing it among the
respective concessionaires.
“Initial meetings have
been held with the concessionaires and the bank. This will be the first
toll road in South India where NHAI will introduce RFID,” said an
official source in NHAI. A 71-km stretch from Tindivanam to Ulundurpet,
managed by GMR Group, has such a facility but it is for government buses
alone.
The Chennai- Bangalore National Highway has
seven toll plazas that are managed and maintained by various
concessionaires including Soma, L&T, Reliance and NHAI.
The 372-km
long road that runs through three national highways including NH 4 from
Chennai to Ranipet, NH- 46 from Ranipet to Krishnagiri and NH 7 from
Krishnagiri to Bangalore, has witnessing a significant increase in
traffic.
The card would be valid throughout the
country and it would be a convenient option for trucks, heavy vehicles
and those travelling long distances. RFID cards would initially be sold
at the toll plaza, after which the system will be expanded to other
places.
At the plaza, the RFID details will be scanned, the cash will
automatically be debited and the boom barriers will be raised to allow
vehicles through.
As of now, 70 per cent of the toll
revenue on the road comes from trucks and the rest from cars and other
vehicles. R. Sukumar, President, Confederation of Surface transport
(Tamil Nadu) said such a system would help reduce waiting time at the
toll plazas.
“It takes us at least 25 minutes to cross the plazas when
the shifts change. In this new system, if separate lanes are provided,
it would help trucks. For a journey from Chennai to Bangalore and back,
it costs Rs.1800 and for cars Rs. 900,” he said.
There are 32 toll plazas on national highways in the State of which 12 are being managed by the NHAI.
