NHA must answer for every rupee collected in tolls

Summary

• If a road project has recovered its cost, the NHA must explain the basis for continuing to charge the public.
• If roads remain damaged, facilities remain poor and complaints are ignored, the NHA must accept responsibility.
• The NHA must also understand that increasing toll rates without improving services will only increase public frustration.

AI Generated Summary

October 6, 2026

The Senate Standing Committee on Communications has raised an important question that the National Highway Authority (NHA) cannot afford to ignore: where are the billions of rupees collected from citizens through tolls going?

The shift from manual toll collection to the M Tag system was presented as a move towards a faster and more modern system. But digital collection alone does not mean better public service. Motorists have the right to know whether the money collected from them is actually being used to improve roads and facilities.