Toll collections at highways has surpassed pre-COVID levels, collections were at 114 per cent of collections at the beginning of the year, reported ET.
This sign the sharper recovery of traffic movement on national highways, adding to toll collection, this will help NHAI plan their project awarding better and stable source of revenue.
Traffic on national Highways for months of March and April was low as 20 to 30 per cent of usual traffic.
NHAI is anticipating losses approximately Rs. 1,110 crore, considering lockdowns, which is still in place in some states, NHAI had temporarily not collected tolls from March 25 to April 2020, heavy monsoons, ICRA report said.
While goods movement has picked up, passenger vehicle movement is yet to recover fully.
In another move, Government is bent on going 100 digital toll collection, from January 2021.
FASTag, an electronic toll collection chip will be made mandatory from January 2021 onwards, currently 80 per cent of toll collected on National Highways is through FASTag.
Since December 15 2019, NHAI has rolled out FASTag over 500 toll plazas across NHAI and making 75% of lanes dedicated to FASTag, and dis-incentivise not using FASTag, by doubling toll rates for vehicles entering dedicated FASTag lane.
As of now all 615 toll plazas on national highways, and 100 toll plazas across sate highways accept FASTag, and government is driven to increase FASTag acceptance.