Budget 2024: Government aims for high-quality road network nationwide, fueled by FASTag and satellite tolls

Anurag Jain, Secretary for Road Transport and Highways, envisions continuous road construction over the next 12-13 years to establish a network of high-quality roads nationwide. This strategic development is aimed at boosting industrial growth, enhancing logistic efficiency, and fostering competitiveness.

One of the key innovations driving this transformation is the implementation of FASTag and the exploration of satellite tolling. FASTag has already proven its efficacy, reducing the average time spent at toll plazas from 12 minutes to a mere 47 seconds, Jain said, adding that the potential adoption of satellite tolling promises to eliminate stopping altogether, further amplifying efficiency gains in the transportation sector.

“In the next 12-13 years, we will continuously build roads and reach a level where every part of the country has good quality roads. This will help the industry to grow much faster, logistical efficiency will improve and make the industry competitive. We are also doing things like FASTag, we are talking about satellite tolling. The time taken at a toll plaza on average was about 12 minutes. After FASTag came in the average time has come down to 47 seconds. If you move to satellite tolling, there will be no stopping. So, that will further add to the efficiency. So, the whole transport sector, from an infrastructure point of view, is being looked at comprehensively,” Jain said in an interview with CNBC-TV18.