Toll plazas 60 kms apart to shut in 3 months: Nitin Gadkari

The government will shut toll booths which are within 60 kilometres of existing ones, said Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

The minister emphasised that these toll plazas will be closed within three months. "There should be no new toll plaza within 60 kilometres of an existing one as it is illegal," Gadkari told the Parliament.

Gadkari also said that the government will use Aadhaar cards to provide passes to locals who reside near toll plazas.

Addressing the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Gadkari said electronic toll collection now constitutes 97% of the country's total toll collections.

The government is now looking to introduce the GPS toll system but it doesn't mean that there will not be any toll, he said. "If you want good services, you have to pay for it."

"In the GPS system, the rider's vehicle, which will mandatorily have GPS, will record from where the vehicle entered and from where it exited and the money will get deducted from the driver's bank account without any hassle," he said.

Highlighting the steps taken by the current government to improve road infrastructure, Gadkari said, "At present, 1000 people are working inside the Zojila Tunnel, that too in -8°C. One will be able to reach Mumbai within 20 hours from Srinagar before the end of this year."

"Connectivity is very important to boost tourism in our country. We have initiated various projects to connect all religious places with quality roads to provide a thrust to religious tourism," he said.

The government is going to equip highways with 650 wayside amenities, Gadkari said. "They would include dedicated AC rooms for lactating mothers to feed their child, washrooms, trauma center, helipad for helicopter ambulance among others."

Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), awaiting SEBI approval, will enable small depositors like farmers, senior citizens, retired government officials etc. to invest their savings in infrastructure projects, Gadkari said. "Once it gets SEBi approval, I would urge them to invest in NHAI bonds to get a minimum 7% return."