Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari told parliament on Tuesday that a revenue of Rs 2,731 crore had been lost after 65 toll plazas on national highways were closed since October 2020 due to the farmers’ protest. Gadkari said Haryana had faced maximum losses of Rs 1,381 crore followed by Punjab with Rs 1,269 crore and Rajasthan at Rs 142 crore.
“National highway toll plazas in Punjab were made non-operational by agitating farmers in October 2020. This eventually happened in the neighbouring states of Haryana and parts of Rajasthan. Overall, 60 to 65 toll plazas were affected due to the farmers’ agitation resulting in a loss of toll collection,” Gadkari told parliament. The toll plazas continue to be shut even after the repeal of the three farm laws.
Gadkari said the ministry and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) made continuous efforts to make the affected toll plazas operational through active communication with the local administration and help of toll collecting agency. “State governments of Punjab and Haryana had assured us full cooperation for the resumption of toll collection at affected toll plazas. However, toll operations could not be started,” Gadkari said.
In June, News18 travelled across Punjab and Haryana to report on the matter and found that farmers had pitched their tents at all the toll plazas to give a free pass to vehicles.
This is perhaps the longest closure of as many toll plazas in one go, said a central official. The Centre’s pleas to Punjab and Haryana governments to restore fee collection at toll plazas have failed so far, with states saying such a move was fraught with the risk of triggering a law and order situation.
“It seems a complete surrender by both these states to this unprecedented unlawful act of farmers. The Centre and the concessionaires continue to bleed money though with no solution in sight. The states don’t lose much as these tolls are on the national highways. They are not bothered,” said another senior official.
In his reply to parliament, Gadkari said NHAI had invited bids for 14 non-operational toll plazas in Rajasthan based on an assurance from local administration, and two plazas were awarded in September. “However, these plazas, too, could not be operated due to the farmers’ protest. In case the protest is called off by farmers without prior information, NHAI, as an exigency plan, has directed its regional offices to mobilise its staff instantly and operationalise the toll plazas till an agency is appointed to avoid any revenue loss,” the minister said.
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