Come August 2014 and users of Delhi Mumbai highway can zoom across the whole stretch of road without having to take a single stop at any of the toll plazas! This will be possible because of an upcoming single radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, which will enable electronic toll collection (ETC) at 50 toll plazas on the golden quadrilateral. Each tag will cost INR 400, with a refundable fees of INR 300.
Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL), which is being promoted by National Highway Authority of India, recently chose ICICI Bank for setting up of Central Clearing House, which will be responsible for collection of toll charges through electronic mode. The collected funds will be then sent to developers. CCH will start operations at ceetain toll plazas across Golden Quadrilateral. Toll plazas on east-west and north-south (EW-NS) corridors will be covered by October.
One toll lane on each side of the corridor will process the RFID tag to enable road users to not stop at at toll plazas. “The installation of hardware at toll plazas will be expedited. Every time an RFID tag user crosses a toll plaza, there will be an alert on the name of the plaza and how much toll has been deducted from the card,” said an official.
“Introduction of ETC will prove far more helpful for cargo operators since they can get instant alerts to find the exact location of their vehicle. It will also help in checking vehicle theft and detecting crimes,” said an official.
via Times of India