Parliament Question: Illegal Collection from Vehicles on NHs

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3212 ANSWERED ON 06th AUGUST, 2026 ILLEGAL COLLECTION FROM VEHICLES ON NHs 3212. DR. PRASHANT YADAORAO PADOLE: Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS सड़क परिवहन औि िाजमार्ग मंत्री be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has received complaints regarding illegal collection of money from commercial vehicles on National Highways, particularly in the name of "Mechanical Pass" or other unauthorized charges, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Government has identified National Highway stretches where such illegal collections and harassment of transporters are frequently reported and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether the Government has issued any guidelines or directions to NHAI, concessionaires and enforcement agencies to prevent unauthorized collections and ensure smooth movement of commercial vehicles; and (d) the details of the action taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to eliminate such illegal practices and safeguard the interests of transporters? 1ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI) (a) User fee at fee plazas on National Highways is collected only in accordance with the provisions of the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 and the respective Concession Agreements. No such pass, namely "Mechanical Pass", is issued to commercial vehicles at National Highway fee plazas. (b) No such National Highway stretch has been identified for illegal collection. (c) The Government has issued various instructions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure transparency and operational integrity in user fee collection at National Highway fee plazas. In this regard, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a Standard Operating Procedure dated 25.01.2024 for Operational Transparency in Tolling Operations, which provides for surprise inspections and regular monitoring to ensure that all cash and FASTag transactions are processed only through the Toll Management System Software. (d) To ensure operational integrity, transparency and safeguard the interest of road users in user fee collection on National Highways, the Government has implemented FASTag-based Electronic Toll Collection system. Presently, approximately more than 98% of user fee collection takes place through FASTag under National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) program. All the FASTag transactions are processed in a secured ecosystem involving Toll Management System Software, Acquirer Bank at fee plaza, National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) as Central Clearing House (CCH) and FASTag Issuer Bank. The transaction involves a transparent process wherein the deducted user fee (Toll) is informed to the highway users and recorded in a central repository. The Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system is designed in such a way that no FASTag 2transaction can take place without the participation of all three stakeholders i.e., Acquirer Bank at user fee plaza, NPCI and Issuer Bank. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of fee plazas and enhance transparency, the Government has discontinued cash collection at all NH fee plazas with effect from April 2026. Accordingly, User Fee is being collected through FASTag/UPI only. Further, In order to enhance toll operations and enable seamless movement of vehicles, the Government has adopted a phased rollout of Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) user fee collection on 4-lane and above National Highways, based on the outcomes and efficacy of the awarded projects. Under the MLFF tolling system, gantry-mounted high- performance Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are used for the deduction of user fees through the existing FASTag system, thereby eliminating manual intervention or cash handling at fee collection points. This facilitates barrier-less tolling, wherein user fees are collected from vehicle users without requiring them to stop, slow down, or remain in a designated lane. The Government, through NHAI Rajmarg Yatra App, takes prompt corrective action in cases of any complaints, violations, including issuance of show-cause notices and penalties as per the applicable contractual provisions. ***** 3