Highways regulator the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has exceeded its toll revenue target in the fiscal 2008-09, collecting taxes to the tune of Rs 1,702 crore.
"Compilation of data from various toll collection plazas shows that we have crossed the tax collection target by Rs 11 crore for the financial year 2008-09 and have collected Rs 1,702 crore. The target for the year was Rs 1,681 crore," an NHAI official, who did not wish to be named, told PTI.
One of the key reasons that the NHAI could surpass the target was that several new stretches were added for tolling during the year.
The NHAI had surpassed the toll revenue target in 2007-08 as well by collecting Rs 1,415 crore against the target of Rs 1,350 crore for the year, the official said.
It has witnessed increase in toll collections from the existing highways and its revenues have also swelled up with the addition of new toll plazas in fresh highway stretches, including the Golden Quadrilateral, the official said.
Earlier, enthused by better results in toll collection during fiscal 2007-08, the NHAI had increased the target for 2008-09 to Rs 1,681 crore from previous fiscal's Rs 1,350 crore, the official said.
However, as per data, only 6,212 km of the total national highway network of 66,000 km is presently tolled.
