NHAI launches barrier‑less MLFF tolling at Gharaunda Toll Plaza on NH-44
New Delhi, June 25
The National Highways Authority of India has commenced Multi‑Lane Free Flow tolling at Gharaunda Toll Plaza on the Panipat-Jalandhar section of National Highway‑44, enabling toll collection without vehicles stopping and promising faster, fuel‑saving journeys, an official statement said on Thursday.
The MLFF system uses advanced electronic toll collection technology, high‑performance sensors and cameras on overhead gantries to automatically identify vehicles and deduct fees through FASTag, allowing uninterrupted travel at highway speeds.
The statement from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways called the development significant a step towards realizing the Government of India's vision of seamless, barrier-less and technology-driven highway travel.
User fees are automatically collected through overhead gantries installed across the highway corridor. Gantries provide a minimum vertical clearance of approximately 5.5 to 6 metres to ensure unhindered movement of permitted vehicles, the statement added.
The rollout will eliminate physical toll barriers, cut waiting times and reduce fuel consumption by avoiding repeated braking, idling and acceleration at plazas. To preserve smooth traffic flow, strict enforcement measures have been implemented to prevent parking, encroachments and unauthorized stoppages within 200 metres on either side of the MLFF tolling zone.
Route Patrol Vehicles (RPVs) and local enforcement agencies will actively monitor MLFF stretches to prevent violations such as wrong-side driving, number plate tampering and toll evasion.
To safeguard revenue while ensuring transparency and convenience for road users, NHAI has introduced a structured e-Notice mechanism for instances where toll payment is not successfully processed through FASTag, including cases of insufficient balance, inactive tags or tag-related issues.
Road users can check and manage e‑Notices at Parivahan website by entering their vehicle registration number and authenticating with an OTP sent to the mobile number registered in the VAHAN database. The e-Notice can also be viewed on Rajmargyatra Mobile App.
Payment within 72 hours attracts the normal toll rate; after 72 hours the fee doubles. In case a vehicle owner believes an e-Notice has been issued incorrectly, a grievance may be submitted through the NIC portal within 72 hours of issuance for review and resolution.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative but I'm skeptical about the fine system. 72 hours to pay at normal rate? That's very tight. Many people don't check their e-notices daily. And what if someone's FASTag had technical issues through no fault of theirs? The 72-hour window should be extended to at least a week. Otherwise this could become another harassment tool.
As an expat living in India for work, this is a massive upgrade. In the US we have similar systems and it saves so much time and fuel. Really glad to see India adopting world-class infrastructure. Just hope the enforcement for toll evasion is strict - back home people who skip tolls face serious penalties. 🚗
Great step! Now if only they could fix the potholes on NH-44 between Panipat and Karnal. What's the point of barrier-less tolling if you have to slow down to 40 km/h anyway because of bad roads? 🤷♂️
This is exactly the kind of innovation India needs. I drive from Delhi to Ambala regularly and the stop-and-go at tolls is exhausting. The fuel savings alone will add up. Well done NHAI! Hope they expand this to all major highways quickly. 👏
One concern: what about trucks and heavy vehicles that often don't have proper FASTags? Will they be penalized heavily? Also, the gantry height of 5.5-6m - will over-dimensional vehicles still be able to pass? Need more clarity on these operational
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.