Pay up to Rs 20 more as toll from tomorrow

CHENNAI: Even as poll-time promises and demands fly thick and fast, with the removal of toll plazas being one of them, 36 toll plazas on the National Highways across the State would be collecting more user fees, ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 20 depending on the vehicle, from April 1. Eight toll plazas under the State control in Chennai and Madurai will also revise toll from Monday.

Toll plazas at Vanagaram, Surapattu, Paranur, Athur, Mathur, Krishnagiri, Boothakudi and Vaniyambadi are among the few to enforce the revision.

Of the 64 toll plazas on NHs across Tamil Nadu, the user fees of 40 are scheduled to be revised on April 1 and the rest on September 1 every year. The toll charges are revised based on the wholesale price index under the provisions of the NH Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008.

Of the 40 toll plazas, the NHAI has not notified the revision for Nemili (Sriperumbudur) and Chennasamudaram (Walajahpet) toll plazas on the Sriperumbudur-Walajahpet section of the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway due to the ongoing six-laning works. Two toll plazas, Parali Pudur in Madurai and Velampatti in Tirupur, commenced operations this year only and will revise the fee next April 1.

Apart from NHAI, the Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation would also revise the user fees on the toll plazas maintained by it at Uthandhi on ECR and Varadharajapuram, Kolappancheri, Palavedu and Chinnamullaivoyal on Chennai ORR. The Corporation operates three plazas on Madurai Bypass.

C Dhanaraj, president of the State Lorry Owners’ Federation (SLOF), said the toll revision would increase freight costs and in turn commodity prices.

“After diesel bills, toll leaves a hole in our pockets. Though the NHAI claims the hike is nominal, one operating a truck from Chennai to Delhi will end up paying Rs 1,000 more as toll,” he said, urging the government to accept their proposal to collect the user fees annually and do away with toll plazas.