Toll plazas on Chennai-Tiruchi national highway gear up for Deepavali rush

The State’s first multi-lane free flow, barrier-free toll system at Paranur.

Each time there is a festival and a large number of people travel to their hometowns in the State, the toll plazas on the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway bear the brunt.

Motorists spend around 20 minutes at all the six plazas put together, waiting to cross the gates.

“The contractors ensure that toll operators and security guards are not on leave. As the rush begins, the boom barriers are positioned vertically so that no time is wasted in moving them up and down. Nearly 50,000 vehicles travel to Tiruchi on a single day. During festivals, this number goes up. Due to the high volume of traffic, the lanes and toll booths are operated 24x7 on all days,” a source in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said.

However, those crossing the Paranur plaza, the first one from Chennai, will have a completely new experience this Deepavali. “Ever since the State’s first multi-lane free flow, barrier-free toll system was launched at Paranur, there have been no pauses. Unless the motorist wants, they need not stop there. In the past month, over 83% of vehicles with sufficient balance and clear windshields, have driven through this plaza without any hassle,” another NHAI official said.

In October, a total of 19,18,967 vehicles crossed the plaza. Of this, 3,06,307 had insufficient balance, closed or duplicate tags. Vehicles with insufficient balance in the FASTags will get blacklisted and e-challans will be issued. They will be stopped at the next plaza and made to pay double the charge. If they do not have FASTag, the vehicle will get blocked in Vahan portal. They cannot avail themselves of Regional Transport Office services, such as name transfer and pollution certificate.

If vehicles do not have proper number plates or have fake number plates, the system will intimate the police, who will file FIRs.

“This facility, too, has been incorporated in our system and will soon be implemented. We request that the public ensure that their vehicle number plates are kept clean and visible to prevent such issues. Similarly, if the windshield is devoid of dirt, the FASTag would function properly,” an official said.