Bengaluru-Mysuru highway toll plazas report significant collection

The Bengaluru-Mysuru highway’s toll plazas, Kaniminike and Sheshagirihalli, have shown significant year-on-year revenue growth, reflecting the increasing traffic along this critical corridor connecting two important cities in the State.

The Kaniminike toll plaza recorded ₹7.05 crore in 2022-23, which surged dramatically to ₹91.17 crore in 2023-24. Similarly, Sheshagirihalli toll plaza, which reported ₹5.21 crore in 2022-23, experienced a remarkable jump to ₹77.94 crore in 2023-24. The Bengaluru-Mysuru Access Controlled Highway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12, 2023.

Additional toll plazas 

Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is exploring the possibility of setting up additional toll plazas on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway to cater to motorists traveling between intermediate towns, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Mysuru MP, said on Saturday.

He noted that NHAI has proposed additional works on the highway at an estimated cost of ₹711 crore. “If new toll plazas are established, motorists would be able to use the highway and pay tolls based on the distance travelled between intermediate locations,” he said.

As per NHAI guidelines, the spacing between toll plazas should be 60 km. For shorter stretches, the toll fee must be calculated based on the actual distance covered.

Meanwhile, a member raised a question on whether the Government has investigated recent cases of undue toll collection on highways. In response, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari stated, “There are no cases of undue user fee collection, as user fee is collected at user fee plazas on National Highways as per applicable National Highway Fee Rules and respective Concession/Contract Agreements. However, if any case of wrong deductions from FASTag is reported, the same is addressed by the Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company owned by NHAI, as per applicable NH Fee Rules and respective Concession/Contract Agreements, and also in coordination with the associated banks.”

Regarding the measures taken to ensure transparency and accountability in toll revenue collection and its utilisation, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that all toll transactions are monitored in real-time, ensuring accurate and timely collection of user fees.

“The NPCI and the associated banks monitor daily user fee collections, which are deposited in a central depository bank account and subsequently transferred to the Consolidated Fund of India. Further, NHAI publishes detailed toll revenue reports, including information on user fee rates, collected revenues, and expenditures, making the data accessible to the public and stakeholders in the public domain,” he added.