Kamal Ghorui
Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated Multi Lane Free Flow tolling on Delhi’s Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II), bringing the capital’s latest transport corridor into India’s expanding barrier-less toll network. The move is aimed at boosting connectivity while easing travel for adjoining villages and surrounding habitations. The UER-II rollout follows the government’s earlier launch of the country’s first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza on the Surat–Bharuch stretch of NH-48 in Gujarat, marking another milestone in the shift towards technology-driven, stop-free highway infrastructure.Introduced as a technology-driven upgrade to conventional toll plazas, the MLFF system uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and FASTag to enable uninterrupted toll collection, allowing vehicles to pass without halting. The model is aimed at easing congestion, shortening travel time, improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions, while also limiting manual intervention.During the Gujarat launch, Gadkari had said the barrier-less tolling initiative would improve ‘Ease of Living’ and support ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by ensuring quicker and more efficient transport movement.With its introduction on UER-II, the system now extends into the capital’s transport network, where improved road infrastructure is expected to support both urban traffic flow and surrounding localities.The move comes alongside wider changes in India’s transport landscape, with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw telling airline investors that the country’s planned high-speed rail network is expected to dominate several heavily used short-haul sectors, sharply reshaping competition on those routes.
What is the MLFF system?
The Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system introduces barrier-less tolling with minimal human involvement, allowing vehicles to move through toll points without halting and ensuring uninterrupted traffic movement. The system uses technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and FASTag-enabled electronic toll collection, to enable contactless toll payments. Designed to transform travel on National Highways, MLFF is expected to improve convenience and operational efficiency while sharply reducing congestion, cutting travel time, boosting fuel efficiency and lowering vehicular emissions.To ensure smooth usage, NHAI has advised National Highway users to keep adequate balance in their FASTag accounts. In cases of insufficient balance, invalid or malfunctioning FASTags, users will receive an Electronic Notice (E-Notice) for non-payment of user fee. The pending user fee must be paid within 72 hours of the notice being issued. Beyond commuter convenience, the MLFF rollout is also expected to strengthen toll administration by improving transparency and reducing the operational expenses associated with physical toll plazas. The system is set to support the creation of a more efficient, cost-effective and technologically advanced tolling network across India’s National Highways.
