NEW DELHI: To ease the burden on commuters using partially open highways such as Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Katra and Amritsar-Jamnagar, the tolls on these corridors will be the same as those on other national highways, according to a notification issued by the Road Transport Ministry. So far, highway tolls are 1.25 times higher than other stretches of road in New Hampshire.A notification issued this week said the user fee rates for national highways operating only a portion of the declared mileage will be levied at the rates of ordinary highways “for a period of one year” or until the highway is fully operational, whichever is earlier. The Times of India first reported on January 2 that the finance ministry approved the highways ministry’s proposal considering that commuters would not be able to use the full facilities of the expressway until the entire stretch is opened.Secondly, the Ministry of Highways said vehicles, especially heavy commercial vehicles, are not using the partially open highways due to higher tolls. The Finance Ministry has said that the decision on whether to continue the relaxation for more than a year may be taken based on the actual traffic volume on such highways. It also asked the highways ministry to impose penalties on contractors for delaying completion of projects.
