The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced a special toll pass facility to provide financial relief to residents living within a 20-kilometre radius of toll plazas. Under the scheme, eligible local residents can obtain a monthly pass for ₹360, while the annual pass will cost ₹1,500 for rural residents and ₹3,000 for those residing within the limits of urban local bodies.
The initiative is aimed at reducing the financial burden on people who frequently travel through toll plazas for work, business, education and other essential activities. Residents living in areas close to toll plazas often have to cross these points regularly, resulting in repeated toll payments. The new arrangement is expected to provide them with considerable relief.
According to NHAI, residents seeking the facility must have a valid and active FASTag installed on their vehicles. The monthly pass is available at ₹360, while the annual pass is priced according to the residential category of the applicant. Rural residents within the prescribed 20-kilometre radius can obtain the annual pass for ₹1,500, whereas residents falling under urban local body limits will have to pay ₹3,000.
However, the facility will be applicable only to eligible local residents living within the designated 20-kilometre radius of a particular toll plaza. The pass can be used exclusively at that specific toll plaza and is restricted to private, non-commercial vehicles.
At present, six toll plazas are operational in Himachal Pradesh. These include the Ghatta toll plaza on the Shimla-Matour National Highway (NH-503) and the Sanwara toll plaza on the Parwanoo-Shimla highway. Four other toll plazas — Maura, Baloh, Takoli and Dohlu Nala — are located on the Kiratpur-Manali National Highway.
Residents fulfilling the eligibility criteria within the 20-kilometre radius of any of these six toll plazas can avail themselves of the facility. The scheme is particularly beneficial for people who have to cross toll barriers frequently as part of their daily routine.
Apart from the special facility for local residents, NHAI also offers a separate annual FASTag-based pass for private, non-commercial vehicles across national highways under its jurisdiction. Priced at ₹3,075, the pass allows motorists to cross eligible toll plazas up to 200 times in a year. This brings the average cost per trip to approximately ₹15.38.
According to the information provided by NHAI, more than one crore vehicle users across the country are already availing themselves of the benefits of this annual pass scheme.
