New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) toll system and AI-based highway management will be implemented across the country by the end of 2026, eliminating the need for vehicles to stop at toll plazas.
Replying during Question Hour, Gadkari said the new system, based on Artificial Intelligence, satellite support and number-plate recognition along with FASTag, would reduce waiting time to “zero minute”. He added that the technology would save around Rs 1,500 crore in fuel costs and increase government revenue by about Rs 6,000 crore.
“The Multi-Lane Free Flow Toll is a very good facility. Earlier it used to take three to ten minutes to pay toll. With FASTag, this time came down to about 60 seconds or less, leading to an increase of at least Rs 5,000 crore in revenue,” the minister said. He added that under MLFF, vehicles would be able to cross toll points at speeds of up to 80 kmph without stopping.
Gadkari said the government aims to complete the rollout of the new system 100 percent by 2026. Once implemented, toll evasion would end and travel time would reduce significantly, he said.
The minister also clarified that the Centre is responsible only for national highways and not for state highways or city roads. He said issues related to state roads are often portrayed on social media as national highway problems. “We are trying to make the system transparent and corruption-free,” Gadkari said.
