Raha Toll gate to reopen from January 2020, four more to open up across Assam

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the highway maintenance and regulatory board, has decided to reopen the Raha toll gate and additional four more located across the State. Starting from the first week of January 2020, the NHAI is determined to reopen the toll gates and successfully keep it working. The five toll gates include Mikrati Hawagaon Daboka-Nagaon on NH-36, Dahalpara on NH 31, Pathgaon on NH 31, Nazirakhat on NH 37 and Madanpur toll gate on NH 31.

The NHAI is extremely concerned about the toll plaza collection as it is crucial for development and maintenance of the highways. The toll plazas were earlier opened on the highways NH 37 and NH 31 in the year 2015 and 2018 respectively. However, due to protests by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yoba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) among other organizations, the toll gates were shut down.

The Regional Officer (RO) of North-East Zone of NHAI, Alok Kumar stated that the revenue earned from the toll plaza is estimated to be around Rs 50 lakhs and will be used for constructing flyovers across the region and bring development to transport and communication sector. The NHAI is determined to maintain the quality of highways and also aims at providing ambulances, patrolling vehicles and cranes to be fully equipped to face any emergency. This is also necessary to maintain the smooth functioning of the toll gates in the State.

The regional officer of NHAI further mentioned that as per a notification dated November 2, 2017 issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, the collection toll from December 2019 at all lanes of fee plazas on the National Highways will be based on the FASTag system to avoid any queues in the toll gates. The FASTag is a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology equipped reloadable tag. The tag is linked to a registered prepaid account which allows automatic deduction of toll charges when a commuter passes through a toll plaza. The NHAI has already equipped the toll plazas with this FASTag system.

According to the same Government Gazette notification, if any vehicle without a FASTag enters the FASTag lane at the toll plaza, the vehicle will have to pay a fee two times the applicable fees to that vehicle category. The FASTag can be easily purchased or recharged online at selected banks including the ICICI, SBI and the HDFC bank. The regional officer also stated that maintenance contractors have been employed along the Jagiroad-Maibong section and the Guwahati-Bongaigaon section and is at the advanced stage.

Presently in Northeast there are four toll plazas operational in Meghalaya - two in the Jorabat-Barapani-Shillong bypass and two on the Jowai0Ratachera section.

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