New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Monday that his Ministry is working on a uniform toll policy to benefit national highway users. He also asserted that India’s highway infrastructure now rivals that of the United States.

“We are working on a uniform toll policy that will address commuter concerns,” he told reporters. His statement comes amid rising discontent over high toll charges and sub-par road-user experience.

Gadkari said the Ministry has decided to implement a barrier-less Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based toll collection system on national highways. He added that complaints from commuters on social media are being taken seriously, and strong action is being taken against errant contractors.

Currently, private cars account for about 60 percent of highway traffic but contribute only 20-26 percent of toll revenue. Over the past decade, toll charges have steadily increased as more highways have come under the tolling system, fuelling user discontent.

Gadkari expressed confidence that the ministry will surpass its previous record of constructing 37 km of highways per day, set in 2020-21. So far in the current financial year, 7,000 km of highways have been built, with the pace expected to accelerate in February and March.

India’s highway construction milestones in recent years include: 2020-21: 13,435.4 km; 2021-22: 10,457.2 km; 2022-23: 10,331 km and 2023-24: 12,349 km.