01 April,2009 11:34 AM IST | | Agencies
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) expects to exceed its toll revenue target in the 2008-09 fiscal and cross over Rs 1,700 crore on the back of increased collections.
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"We expect a toll collection of more than Rs 1,700 crore for the fiscal 2008-09 as against a target of Rs 1,600 crore," an NHAI official said, who did not wish to be named. Claiming that the collection may even surpass Rs 1,700 crore, the official said collection of data from various plazas indicated that the target was almost achieved sometime back although the final figures are yet to be compiled.
The NHAI has witnessed increase in toll collections from existing highways and its revenues have also swelled up with the addition of new toll plazas in fresh highway stretches, including the Golden Quadrilateral.
Enthused by better results in toll collection during fiscal 2007-08, the NHAI had increased the target for 2008-09 to Rs 1,600 crore from previous fiscal's Rs 1,400 crore, the official said pointing out that the achievement in 2007-08 was Rs 1,415 crore.
"One of the key reasons that we could surpass the target is that several new stretches were added for tolling during the year," the official said. As per a data, only 6,212 km of the total national highway network of 66,000 km is currently tolled.
