PIB TrackerBarrier-free from Manesar to Jaipur: free-flow tolling arrives
NHAI rolled out Multi-Lane Free Flow tolling at Shahjahanpur on the Delhi-Jaipur stretch of NH-48 — the third plaza on the corridor to go barrier-less, letting vehicles pay without stopping and making the Manesar-Jaipur run gate-free.
What happened
- NHAI launched Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling at Shahjahanpur on NH-48.
- It is the third plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur corridor to go barrier-free, after Daulatpura and Manoharpura.
- Travelling from Manesar to Jaipur is now completely barrier-free.
- Vehicles pass toll points without stopping, with minimal human intervention.
- Gains: zero waiting time, better fuel efficiency and lower idling emissions.
For Prelims
- MLFF: Multi-Lane Free Flow tolling — barrier-less collection letting vehicles pass at speed.
- Where: Shahjahanpur plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur section of NH-48, Rajasthan; after Daulatpura and Manoharpura.
- FASTag: the RFID-based electronic toll collection system MLFF builds on.
- Next step: GNSS (satellite)-based tolling charging by distance travelled rather than plaza crossed.
- Benefits: zero waiting, fuel savings, lower idling emissions and smoother traffic.
- NHAI: the statutory authority (1988 Act) developing and maintaining national highways.
For UPSC: A technology-in-infrastructure item. Use it for digital public infrastructure in transport, FASTag and the move to GNSS-based tolling, logistics efficiency and emissions from congestion, and user-charge models for highways.
What it is NOT: This is barrier-free tolling at specific plazas using existing FASTag-based identification — not satellite (GNSS) distance-based tolling, which is a further step.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.11 · GS3.9 · Linkage L1
Anchor
The toll gate disappears — and a whole highway corridor stops queuing.
Substantiation (data)
MLFF at Shahjahanpur makes Manesar-to-Jaipur barrier-free, the third plaza on the corridor after Daulatpura and Manoharpura.
Exemplification
Barrier-less gantries build on FASTag's RFID rails, cutting waiting time, fuel burn and idling emissions.
Problematisation
Enforcement against non-payers, camera and RFID accuracy, and privacy of vehicle-movement data are the open issues.
Way-forward
Scale MLFF corridor-wide, build robust violation enforcement, and prepare the legal and privacy framework for GNSS distance-based tolling.
Position
Tolling is now a data-and-technology problem — solving it well pays back in logistics costs and clean air.
Deploys into: S&T in everyday life + infrastructure (GS3.11, GS3.9) · FASTag and free-flow tolling, GNSS-based tolling, and logistics efficiency and congestion emissions.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways · 2026-08-01 · PRID 2293021 · PIB source ↗