20,000 motorists to benefit from new annual toll pass scheme in Gurugram

The annual pass will cost ₹1,500 for toll plazas located outside municipal or local town limits and ₹3,000 for those within these limits. The rules will come into effect on November 1

Around 20,000 private car owners using concessional monthly passes at the Bijwasan and Kherki Daula toll plazas will be able to opt for a ₹3,000 annual pass under new rules notified by the Union ministry of road transport and highways. The rules will come into effect on November 1.

NHAI officials said both Bijwasan toll plaza on Dwarka Expressway (above) and Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur highway fall within municipal limits, making the ₹3,000 annual pass applicable to commuters using these plazas. (HT Archive)

According to the notification issued on Monday, owners of non-commercial vehicles with valid and functional FASTags who live within 20km of a toll plaza can choose between the existing monthly pass and a new concessional annual pass.

The annual pass will cost ₹1,500 for toll plazas located outside municipal or local town limits and ₹3,000 for those within these limits.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said both Bijwasan toll plaza on Dwarka Expressway and Kherki Daula toll plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur highway fall within municipal limits, making the ₹3,000 annual pass applicable to commuters using these plazas.

“There are around 10,000 monthly pass subscribers at Bijwasan and around 10,000 subscribers at Kherki Daula,” said a senior NHAI official from PIU Dwarka.

A senior NHAI official said that around 6,000 commuters use the monthly pass at Ghamroj toll plaza. This toll plaza is also within municipal limits.

Currently, private car owners using these toll plazas pay ₹360 for a monthly pass, which must be renewed every month. The new annual pass will reduce their yearly expenditure from ₹4,320 to ₹3,000.

According to the notification, the annual pass will be valid only at the toll plaza for which it is issued. The government can revise the prescribed rates annually from April 1.

The concession will not apply at toll plazas operating under a closed user fee collection system, where charges are based on the distance travelled and vehicle category rather than a flat rate. The rules also specify that local passes will not be issued if a service road or an alternative route is available to the vehicle owner or driver.

Residents along Dwarka Expressway welcomed the move, saying it would reduce commuting costs and eliminate the inconvenience of monthly renewals.

“The car owners currently spend ₹4,320 a year on monthly passes. The annual pass will reduce this cost to ₹3,000. More importantly, commuters will no longer have to deal with the hassle of monthly renewals, which can sometimes be difficult due to technical glitches. This is a welcome decision,” said Sunil Sareen, deputy convenor, Dwarka Expressway Gurugram Development Association.