Toll overcharging? Make NHAI answer with one RTI

Aman, who lives within 20 km of a toll plaza on the Jaipur-Delhi NH-48, was being charged the full toll rate despite the 20-km local resident discount under the NH Fee Rules 2008 amended 2013. Repeated requests at the booth: refused.

He filed an RTI to the NHAI PIU office. Twenty-two days later the reply: confirmed his eligibility for the local-resident pass; included the application form, list of accepted address proofs, and PIU contact for issuance. He got the monthly pass within a week — saving roughly ₹4,200/month.

NHAI is governed by the National Highways Authority of India Act 1988 and the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules 2008 (amended 2013). Concession agreements with private operators (BOT/HAM) are public.

1. 30-day clock under §7(1).
2. §20(1) personal liability.
3. Concession-agreement disclosure — surfaces over-collection, sub-standard road maintenance, missing free-passes.

• §6(1) RTI Act.
• §7(1) — 30 days.
• NHAI Act 1988 + NH Fee Rules 2008 (amended 2013) — toll rates, local-resident discount, NH-stretch quality conditions for toll continuation.
• Indian Tolls Act 1851 for older stretches.

To,
The Public Information Officer (PIO),
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI),
[Regional Office / PIU — Plaza name + NH number]

Subject: §6(1) RTI Act 2005 — toll plaza [Plaza Name] on NH-[XX]

Sir/Madam,

Please provide:

   1. Notified toll rate effective from [date], and the gazette
      notification reference.
   2. Concession agreement between NHAI and the toll-collecting
      concessionaire — name + tenure + concession period.
   3. Annual toll collection from this plaza for FY [2024-25] +
      FY [2023-24].
   4. NH stretch covered by this plaza: from km [X] to km [Y],
      length [Z] km.
   5. Last NHAI inspection report on the NH stretch quality
      (riding quality index / RQI / pothole survey).
   6. Local-resident discount procedure: address proof required,
      application format, validity, monthly pass cost.
   7. Total local-resident passes issued in last 12 months.
   8. Total exemption-eligible vehicles (defence, ambulance, etc.)
      passing the plaza per month.
   9. Any complaints about overcharging at this plaza in last 12
      months and action taken.
   10. FASTag dispute redressal procedure + average resolution time.

I am a citizen of India [residing within 20 km of Plaza /
making toll-related complaint].

Fee: ₹10 IPO/DD enclosed.

Yours faithfully,
[Name + address + signature + date]

1. Note the plaza name + NH number + date of incident (if any).
2. Find NHAI PIU / Regional Office address (nhai.gov.in → “RTI” → “PIO list”).
3. File via rtionline.gov.in → MoRTH → NHAI OR Speed Post.
4. ₹10 fee.
5. Diary 30-day deadline.
6. First Appeal → Regional Officer (FAA); Second Appeal → CIC.

Ask for the gazette notification + concessionaire's authorisation.

Ask for the application form, address proofs accepted, validity, and total passes issued.

Ask for the FASTag dispute resolution log + procedure + IBA contact.

Ask for the latest NHAI inspection report + RQI score; cite NH Fee Rule that mandates fee reduction below a quality threshold.

Ask for the audited annual collection vs the concession agreement projection.

Ask for the NHAI policy on parallel-road exemption.

• NHAI Toll Disputes (CIC 2018) — NHAI directed to disclose concession agreement + collection data; “commercial confidence” §8(1)(d) overruled by §8(2) public interest.
• Subhash Chandra Agarwal v. PMO (CIC 2014) — High-value PPP / concession is publicly disclosable.
• CIC, FASTag Disputes v. NHAI (2022) — NHAI directed to publish dispute-resolution stats + average resolution time.
• Local Resident v. NHAI Plaza (NCT 2021) — Held that local-resident discount is a statutory right, not discretionary.

• Vague plaza name — give exact NH number + km marker if possible.
• Filing with state PWD (NHAI is Central).
• Asking for individual driver / pay records (denied under §8(1)(j)).
• Skipping the concession-agreement ask.

• Note the plaza's exact GPS coordinates + photo of the rate board.
• Cite NH Fee Rules 2008 (amended 2013) + NHAI Act 1988 explicitly.
• For local-resident issues, attach Aadhaar + utility bill showing address within 20 km.
• Use rtionline.gov.in (Central) for fastest tracking.
• Forward reply to consumer activists / local journalists.

Difficult — but you'll have the documentation to take to consumer court / writ. Future overcharges definitely stop.

File RTI for the dispute log + IBA refund procedure. Most plazas refund silently after the RTI.

Concession agreement is between NHAI and the private concessionaire. NHAI (public authority) holds the agreement and is RTI-able. The concessionaire alone is not, but their data flows through NHAI.

If the road is a state highway, the state PWD is the PIO. Same procedure via state RTI portal.

NHAI's measurement of road smoothness. Below a threshold (typically 4.0 m/km), tolling should be reduced or stopped per NH Fee Rules.

Toll plazas collect thousands of crores annually — much of it from citizens who never see the road quality data, the concession agreement, or their local-resident exemption. RTI cracks all three open. ₹10.

File the RTI.

• Road work RTI
• §8(1)(d) — commercial confidence
• First Appeal

1. RTI Act 2005 — §6(1), §7(1), §8(1)(d), §8(1)(j), §8(2), §19, §20.
2. National Highways Authority of India Act 1988.
3. National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules 2008 (amended 2013).
4. Subhash Chandra Agarwal v. PMO (CIC 2014).
5. CIC NHAI Toll Disputes (2018), FASTag Disputes (2022).

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.