India’s first Multi-Lane Free Flow barrier-less tolling system launched in Gujarat

UNion route ship and highways government minister Nitin Gadkari on fri proclaimed the launch of India’s first multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling system at the Choryasi toll plaza on National Highway-48 in Gujarat, marking the country’s first operational barrier-less tolling site. Under the MLFF system, vehicle numbers are detected using ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras and checked with the VAHAN database to ascertain the right vehicle has been identified through an AI-based systemGadkari on X said, “The introduction of MLFF marks a significant step towards digitising the tolling ecosystem and modernising National Highway infrastructure to global standards. This transformative system will reduce travel time, ease congestion, improve fuel efficiency, lower vehicular emissions, and minimise human intervention in toll operations.”“Barrier-less tolling will enhance ‘Ease of Living’ for citizens while strengthening ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by enabling faster and more efficient movement of goods and logistics,” he added.Also Read:Delhi-Amritsar-Katra e-way to be completed by March 2028: GadkariEarlier on April 15, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had directed banks issuing FASTags to immediately verify vehicle registration numbers (VRNs) linked to FASTags, in an attempt to improve data accuracy across India’s electronic tolling ecosystem. At the same time, recent amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, also seek to enforce payment discipline in a barrier-less system.Under the new rules, any unpaid toll dues, defined as “unpaid user fee” recorded electronically but not settled can lead to denial of services such as transfer of ownership, renewal of fitness certificates and issuance of national permits. Officials have said such enforcement measures are critical for MLFF tolling, where compliance must be ensured digitally rather than through physical checkpoints.Following the Gujarat rollout, additional MLFF toll plazas are expected to be introduced in phases across the country. Earlier plans indicated that around 25 toll plazas would be converted to barrier-less systems as part of the initial expansion. Pilots have been carried out at Gharaunda toll plaza on the Delhi–Chandigarh highway among others.The government has set a target to implement MLFF tolling across the national highway network by the end of 2026, effectively eliminating the need for vehicles to stop at toll plazas nationwide.