Tolls on national highways continuing in perpetuity should be reduced or scrapped once capital and maintenance costs are recovered, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended in its report tabled before Parliament on Tuesday (August 12, 2025). It also proposed a tariff authority for toll determination to ensure fairness.
The PAC, under the chairmanship of Congress MP K.C. Venugopal, has proposed a technology-driven, and transparent mechanism for automatic toll refund or waiver where highways are under maintenance or unfit.
Government reduces toll charges by up to 50% on national highways with bridges, tunnels
“The committee desires that toll collection on any highway stretch must be rationalised and substantially reduced once capital and routine maintenance costs have been recovered. Any continuation of tolls beyond this point should be permitted only if clearly justified and approved by the proposed independent oversight authority,” the report recommends.
Such a mechanism will safeguard user interest and uphold the principle of equity in public infrastructure usage, it states.
