New rules to enforce payment discipline on barrier-less tolls

Officials said the changes are designed to support the upcoming roll-out of multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling

People who fail to pay toll or clear pending dues on national highway tolls, will no longer be able to transfer ownership of vehicles, obtain inter-state transfer clearances, renew fitness certificates or secure national permits for commercial operations, under new rules notified by the Centre to tighten toll compliance and curb evasion.

The changes are designed to support the upcoming roll-out of multi-lane free flow tolling, officials said. (HT Photo)

Officials said the changes are designed to support the upcoming roll-out of multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling, which will enable barrier-less toll collection on national highways and will depend on high compliance levels for effective functioning. Currently barrier-less tolling is underway only in select toll plazas and the ministry has targeted full coverage by the end of 2026.

The ministry of road transport and highways on Tuesday announced these changes as the Central Motor Vehicles (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026 has been notified, amending the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to link clearance of unpaid national highway user fees with access to essential vehicle-related services.

The amendments also introduced a new definition of “unpaid user fee”, referring to toll payable for use of a national highway section where an electronic toll collection (ETC) system has recorded a vehicle’s passage but the applicable fee has not been received in accordance with the National Highways Act, 1956.

The amendments also revise Form 28 — the application form for obtaining an NOC — requiring applicants to declare whether any unpaid toll demand is pending against the vehicle, along with relevant details. The rules further enable electronic issuance of portions of Form 28 through a designated online portal to promote digital processing.