Key Highlights
- The government pushes for domestic manufacturing to ease security concerns. India is preparing for one of the biggest overhauls of its highway tolling architecture since the rollout of FASTag.
- Instead of the previously considered Global Navigation Satellite System-based tolling model, the ministry of road transport and highways and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) now plan to implement the Multi-Lane Free-Flow electronic toll collection system across the country’s 146,560-km national highway network.
- Barriers at toll plazas will be replaced with overhead gantries equipped with advanced cameras and RFID readers. While the technology promises seamless travel at highway speeds, security concerns over imported high-speed cameras and the need for vendor certification have added complexity to the rollout.
- Mint explains what MLFF means and what lies ahead. What is MLFF and how will it work?The Multi-Lane Free-Flow (MLFF) electronic toll collection system facilitates barrier-less tolling using technologies that allow vehicles to pass toll plazas at full highway speeds—100 kmph or more—without stopping. Also Read | India to bid out Rs75,000cr build-operate highways next fiscalInstead of booths and boom barriers, overhead gantries will be installed at toll points.
- These are fitted with high-speed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and high-performance RFID readers linked to FASTag accounts.
