It is not often that something like this happens but in this case, the state of Madhya Pradesh has decided to abolish the toll tax for private vehicles.
In welcome news for private cars, the state of Madhya Pradesh has abolished toll tax. This is a commendable measure from the state government in order to prevent long traffic jams caused by a ton of private cars on toll plazas. Indian highways use the FASTag at toll plazas in order to curtain traffic jams and save time but there are still some places where traffic jams are a rather common sight. Therefore, the Madhya Pradesh government decided to do something to tackle that.
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Toll Tax for Pvt Cars Abolished in MP
The Public Works Department (PWD) performed a survey of 200 roads under the State Road Development Corporation (SRDC). After the survey, it was found out that 80% of tax amount was collected from commercial vehicles compared to a mere 20% from private cars. However, private cars contributed the most toward the traffic jam causing long queues. Hence, the state government, led by CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan, proposed that private vehicles should be exempted from paying the toll tax. This will allow the cars to simply drive past the toll plaza without stopping or causing traffic jams.
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This proposal includes all the new and old roads that fall under the purview of the SRDC. The bill has been sent to the cabinet for approval as mentioned by the Principal Secretary of the State Transport, Neeraj Mandloi. This has come as a relief to the private car owners. Now, that one state has set an example, is it time for other states to follow too?
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Well, it is not that simple. First of all, the situation of traffic jams in other states might vary. Secondly, there have to be surveys done in order to ensure that most vehicles crossing any toll are commercial. If a large chunk of the cars is private, abolishing toll tax will affect the state revenues. Finally, the Indian government is planning to introduce GPS-based toll collection where the cars will be charged tax according to the distance travelled on the toll road. This should further help reduce the congestion caused by queues at the toll plaza.
