"Highway Toll System is 'Organized Loot': Raghav Chadha Demands Reforms in Rajya Sabha Address"

Raghav Chaddha addressed the toll collection issue during the Rajya Sabha zero-hour session.

New Delhi:

AAP leader Raghav Chadha denounced India's highway toll collection system as "organised loot" on Monday, highlighting that poor management and excessive fees are creating an "unbearable" burden for travelers.

"Toll is taking a big toll on the people of India," Chadha stated, emphasizing that "persistent congestion, utter mismanagement and over-profiteering" at toll booths have transformed road travel from a mere "inconvenience to injustice."

During his zero-hour address in the Rajya Sabha, the MP characterized toll payments as a form of "harassment," pointing out that Indian citizens already endure one of the world's highest taxation rates for road usage.

He explained that consumers pay GST on vehicles purchased with already-taxed income, plus road tax and infrastructure cess. Fuel purchases are subject to multiple taxes including excise duty, special excise duty, VAT, road development cess and infrastructure cess.

"On top of these, toll is to be paid on highways. This is becoming unbearable for citizens," he remarked.

Chadha noted that the situation is exacerbated by the "extremely poor quality" of numerous roadways, citing deficiencies such as inadequate drainage systems, missing lane markings, insufficient lighting, and substandard safety infrastructure. He added that poor maintenance resulting in potholes, dangerous spots, and surface deterioration contributes to thousands of annual road fatalities.

The AAP leader referenced recent Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir High Court decisions stating that operators cannot collect tolls on roads not maintained to required standards.

He also emphasized the frequent bottlenecks and delays at toll plazas caused by lane closures and inefficient management. "Highways are meant for seamless connectivity, seamless mobility. But who will calculate the cost of congestion at toll plazas?" he questioned, identifying wasted fuel, productivity losses, missed appointments, and mental distress as hidden costs borne by travelers.

"If you add all these costs, you will find that they are an invisible cost to the economy," Chadha stated.

He further alleged that toll collection often continues even after road construction costs have been fully recovered.

"This is legalised loot, which has to be stopped," he declared, urging the government to implement a rule that any delay exceeding five minutes at toll plazas should automatically grant vehicles free passage.

Separately, Javed Ali Khan from Samajwadi Party raised concerns about an unofficial Uttar Pradesh government order excluding families with fewer than six members on ration cards from the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana—a national health insurance scheme providing free coverage to low-income earners.

The 2011 socio-economic census identified over 9 crore potential beneficiaries in the state, but only 5.38 crore have been enrolled, highlighting a significant gap between eligible and actual participants.

In other proceedings, Muzibulla Khan (BJD) advocated for establishing a medical college and additional facilities in Odisha's Nabarangpur district, while Manan Kumar Mishra (BJP) requested double-laning of the Gorakhpur-Gopalganj-Chapra railway line.