New Delhi: As toll collections remained buoyant, the government has so far transferred Rs 15,605 crore to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) as part of its share of user revenue. This is 75% of the amount the agency was estimated to get during the whole of the current financial year.
For FY24, the NHAI’s share from toll collections is expected to be Rs 20,807 crore as against the revised estimates of Rs 18,005 crore in FY23, says a report in Finacial Express.
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The increasing collections have enabled transfer of three-fourths of the projected toll share for the full financial year in the first five months of the fiscal year and for the full year NHAI may end up getting more than what was estimated in the budget, official sources reportedly told FE.
While in the FY 2022-23 the average monthly toll collection of NHAI was Rs 3841 crore, the same stood at Rs 4083 crore in the January-March quarter and further increased during April-June of FY24 to Rs Rs 4,406 crore.
Overall toll collections at highways were 33,907 crore in FY 22. That climbed to Rs 48,028 crore in FY 23. This includes the total collection from government-funded stretches as well as those run by private concessionaires.
How the NHAI earns funds:
Out of its total revenue or funds inflow, the NHAI gets around 37% to 40% of the total collections directly while around 50% is collected by private highway operators. The highway development arm of the government ie. the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) and the Road Wing of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways put in the rest.
But for the last two years, the Centre has been bankrolling the ambitious highway building programme and has therefore taken on the full responsibility to fund NHAI’s debt servicing and future investment needs plans. With the rising toll revenues and asset monetisation, the Centre may find a larger part of the burden eased off.
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The NHAI in FY 23 has an ambitious plan to invest a target of Rs 1.62 trillion in infrastructure as against Rs 1.41 trillion in FY 22. Save for the Rs 20,807 crore from toll and Rs 10,000 crore from the Monetisation of the National Highways Fund, the remainder amount will have to come from the central exchequer.
In May 2023, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said its daily toll collection through FASTag has reached about ₹193 crore. The FASTag system brings effectiveness in toll collection. Its operation system has facilitated seamless and secure contactless payment for parking fees at over 140 parking lots in 50+ cities across India. The FASTag system will help attract further investment in India’s highway infrastructure as it displays the ability to more precisely evaluate road assets.
