NHA Collects Rs71.54 Billion From Six Motorways as Cash Toll Collection Continues
Nadeem Tanoli
Islamabad: The National Highway Authority has collected Rs71.54 billion in gross revenue from six NHA operated motorways, with 85 percent of this amount came from cashless M Tag operations, while 15 percent is still collected in cash despite the imposition of a 50 percent additional toll on cash payments. The disclosure, made in a Senate question answer session, raised questions about toll collection policy, cash payment enforcement, commuter burden and the utilization of motorway revenue.According to the written reply submitted by Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, NHA implemented an M Tag based Electronic Toll Collection system on all motorway lanes to facilitate commuters and promote cashless transactions. However, the official figures show that a significant share of toll payments continues to be made in cash even after financial penalties were imposed to discourage manual toll collection.The reply stated that six motorways are directly managed by NHA, including Peshawar Islamabad M 1, Lahore Abdul Hakeem M 3, Pindi Bhattian Multan M 4, Multan Sukkur M 5, Hakla Dera Ismail Khan M 14 and Hazara E 35. Three other motorways, Islamabad Lahore M 2, Karachi Hyderabad M 9 and Sialkot Lahore M 11, are being operated under Build Operate Transfer arrangements with the concessionaire FWO.The gross revenue collected from the six NHA operated motorways stood at Rs71,544.01 million during the reported period. Out of this total, 85 percent came through M Tag based cashless operations, while the remaining 15 percent was collected in cash. The continued cash collection despite a 50 percent additional toll has highlighted the challenge of fully shifting motorway users to electronic tolling.The government informed the Senate that M-Tag revenue collected on the NHA road network is deposited into the dedicated Roads Maintenance Account of NHA under the RMA Rules. The funds are used for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the 14,480 kilometre NHA road network.Under the prescribed utilization mechanism, the first priority for the revenue is routine and periodic maintenance of national highways and motorways. The second priority is rehabilitation work, followed by geometric improvements and highway safety measures. The money may also be used for new toll plazas, weigh stations, corridor management and related activities.The reply also revealed that the one time M-Tag fee is currently fixed at Rs250. This fee is based on the cost of manufacturing or procurement of the electronic tag, its installation on the vehicle windscreen and related operational handling. The amount is collected by FWO at the time of installation.The motorway wise data shows that Islamabad Lahore M 2 has the highest number of M Tag lanes with 172 lanes, followed by Pindi Bhattian Multan M 4 with 154 lanes, Peshawar Islamabad M 1 with 138 lanes, Multan Sukkur M 5 with 132 lanes and Hakla Dera Ismail Khan M 14 with 120 lanes. Karachi Hyderabad M 9 has 101 lanes, Hazara E 35 has 77 lanes, Sialkot Lahore M 11 has 68 lanes and Lahore Abdul Hakeem M 3 has 48 lanes.The details were provided in response to a question by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, who had sought information about the total number of M Tag lanes on motorways, revenue collected through these lanes, utilization of the revenue and the mechanism for prescribing M Tag fees.
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