GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO: 1359
ANSWERED ON: 16.11.2010
COLLECTION OF TOLL TA FROM ROAD USERS
(a) whether the Government has amended its policy in regard to assigning the responsibility for collecting toll from the road users during the year 2010;
(b) if so, whether the new policy proposes to give responsibility of collecting toll ta to private organisation instead of e- servicemen;
(c) if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether such changes in policy would lead to giving priority to revenue generation over selfemployment; and
(e) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI R.P.N. SINGH) (a) to (c): No, Madam. In eercise of powers conferred under Section 7 and of the National Highways Act 16, Central Government have notified National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. In accordance with these Rules, the user fee is collected by the Central Government or the eecuting authority or the concessionaire as the case may be, at the toll plaa. In respect of public funded proects, the fee levied under these rules is collected by the Central Government or the eecuting authority, as the case may be, through its own officials or through contractors. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), being eecuting authority, in turn, have accordingly been collecting the user fee through e-servicemene-servicemen agency sponsored by Directorate General of Re-settlement (DGR). However, recently, NHAI have shifted from their eisting procedure and have adopted the following three methods
(i) Operation, Maintenance and Transfer (OMT) Concession Agreement
(ii) an agency engaged through competitive bidding and
(iii) DGR sponsored e-servicemen in Jammu Kashmir, North Eastern States and other difficult areas. NHAI have however, incorporated provision in such contracts at
(i) and (ii) above, to have a mandatory clause for engaging at least 0 e-servicemen against the total reuirement of manpower.
(d) (e): Do not arise.