India's first RFID technology toll comes up near Chandigarh

Chandimandir (Haryana), April 19 (IANS) India's first RFID (radio frequency identification) -based electronic toll plaza was inaugurated on National Highway No.5 (NH-5) at Chandimandir in Haryana's Panchkula district.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister C.P. Joshi inaugurated the new toll plaza in the presence of union Culture Minister Selja, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Haryana counterpart Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The new toll plaza is on the Zirakpur-Parwanoo section of the NH-5, 20 km from Chandigarh.

Constructed by Himalayan Expressway Ltd, a subsidiary of construction, cement and power sector company Jaypee Group, the toll plaza will have all 14 lanes using the RFID technology for electronic toll collection.

Addressing the gathering, Joshi said that though the section of the highway (where the new toll is located) is only about 27.6 km on a four-laned road, it is unique as its passes through three states, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, in this short distance. The project runs 21 km in Haryana, 4.6 km in Himachal Pradesh and two km in Punjab.

He said RFID technology would soon be implemented all over the country to provide seamless travel to long journey road users and save their time and fuel.

Project concessionaire Jaypee Group executive chairman Manoj Gaur said that with the commissioning of the project, the nightmare of road users (on the Delhi-Chandigarh-Shimla section) travelling through unanticipated traffic jams will vanish. He said there will be saving of travel time and fuel cost.

Gaur said that special emphasis has been laid on landscaping and safety of the road users.

'This will be a new gateway to Himachal Pradesh. By employing our rich experience of hydropower projects, high retaining walls have been built and rock fall protection measures have been adopted,' he said.