Stir caused Rs 2,500-cr toll revenue loss

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 19

The agitation in Punjab and Haryana against the Centre’s three farm laws has led to toll suspension at national highways, causing a loss of around Rs 2,500 crore besides revenue loss in the state highway projects. Apart from the impact on toll collection, there is also a debt taken by the stakeholders which is at “risk.”

A total of 52 toll plazas, including both public-funded and BOT (built, operate and transfer), on national highways (NHs) in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi-NCR have been directly or indirectly affected due to the agitation.

While the impact on fee collection at some toll plazas began from October 2020 onwards, it intensified in December 2020 with no fee collection with the free movement of vehicles at all toll plazas in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi-NCR.

“The average toll collection per day at these plazas is estimated at Rs 7 crore,” according to rating agency ICRA. Even the government said it suffered a toll revenue loss of Rs 814.4 crore till March 16 on account of farmers’ protest in three states, including Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, in Parliament.

So, it is estimated that the total revenue loss would be around Rs 2,500 crore in Punjab and Haryana.

Apart from the impact on toll collection due to restrictions in vehicular movement, there is also a debt of over Rs 9,300 crore taken by the stakeholders which is at “risk”, ICRA said. With the decision to repeal the laws, the NHAI is gearing up to resume toll operations.