New Delhi, June 25 (IANS) The National Highways Authority of India has commenced Multi‑Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling at Gharaunda Toll Plaza on the Panipat–Jalandhar section of National Highway‑44, enabling toll collection without vehicles stopping and promising faster, fuel‑saving journeys, an official statement said on Thursday.

The MLFF system uses advanced electronic toll collection technology, high‑performance sensors and cameras on overhead gantries to automatically identify vehicles and deduct fees through FASTag, allowing uninterrupted travel at highway speeds.

The statement from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways called the development significant a step towards realizing the Government of India’s vision of seamless, barrier-less and technology-driven highway travel.

User fees are automatically collected through overhead gantries installed across the highway corridor. Gantries provide a minimum vertical clearance of approximately 5.5 to 6 metres to ensure unhindered movement of permitted vehicles, the statement added.

The rollout will eliminate physical toll barriers, cut waiting times and reduce fuel consumption by avoiding repeated braking, idling and acceleration at plazas. To preserve smooth traffic flow, strict enforcement measures have been implemented to prevent parking, encroachments and unauthorized stoppages within 200 metres on either side of the MLFF tolling zone.

Route Patrol Vehicles (RPVs) and local enforcement agencies will actively monitor MLFF stretches to prevent violations such as wrong-side driving, number plate tampering and toll evasion.

To safeguard revenue while ensuring transparency and convenience for road users, NHAI has introduced a structured e-Notice mechanism for instances where toll payment is not successfully processed through FASTag, including cases of insufficient balance, inactive tags or tag-related issues.

Road users can check and manage e‑Notices at Parivahan website by entering their vehicle registration number and authenticating with an OTP sent to the mobile number registered in the VAHAN database. The e-Notice can also be viewed on Rajmargyatra Mobile App.

Payment within 72 hours attracts the normal toll rate; after 72 hours the fee doubles. In case a vehicle owner believes an e-Notice has been issued incorrectly, a grievance may be submitted through the NIC portal within 72 hours of issuance for review and resolution.

—IANS

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