SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir witnessed an increase in operational National Highway fee plazas from four in 2021-22 to six in 2025-26. Toll revenue from National Highways and expressways in the Union Territory during the latest financial year stood at Rs 502.002 crore , according to data presented by the Union Government in the Rajya Sabha.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways told RS other day that J&K’s toll revenue increased from Rs 194.81 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 409.96 crore in 2022-23, Rs 436.86 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 507.56 crore in 2024-25 before slightly declining to Rs 502.002 crore in 2025-26.
The number of operational fee plazas in the Union Territory(UT) increased to six in 2022-23 and remained at that level through 2025-26. The Union territory had four plazas in 2021-22.
The Ministry did not list Jammu and Kashmir among the states and Union territories where user fee collection had been discontinued at any National Highway fee plaza.
The annexure identified temporary discontinuation in six states, involving eight plazas, due to reasons including public agitation and law-and-order issues, highway damage caused by heavy rainfall and landslides, natural calamities and highway widening works.
Moreover Jammu and Kashmir’s 2025-26 toll collection was substantially below the national total of Rs 68,483 crore from fee plazas. Including Rs 1,795.18 crore collected through the Annual Pass scheme, the overall national collection stood at Rs 70,278.18 crore.
The Centre’s data showed that JK’s toll revenue increased by more than two-and-a-half times between 2021-22 and 2025-26, despite the number of operational plazas rising by only two.
However, the Union territory remained among the lower toll-revenue jurisdictions nationally, with much larger collections recorded in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.City& Local Guides
Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest toll collection in 2025-26 at Rs 8,862.123 crore, followed by Rajasthan at Rs 7,317.512 crore, Maharashtra at Rs 7,053.711 crore and Gujarat at Rs 6,352.377 crore. JK’s collection was also below neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir-region states including Punjab, which recorded Rs 1,762.571 crore, and Himachal Pradesh, which collected Rs 95.167 crore.
Responding to an Unstarred Question in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said the Government had periodically reviewed its tolling policy to balance the revenue required for highway development with the need to reduce the burden on road users.
The Ministry said an Annual Pass for non-commercial cars, jeeps and vans was introduced through G.S.R. 388(E) dated June 17, 2025.
The pass allows 200 National Highway fee plaza crossings or one year’s validity, whichever comes earlier, for Rs 3,075 in financial year 2026-27, compared with the initial charge of Rs 3,000.
Other changes included restrictions on user fees for highways with longer structural stretches, a reduction in the applicable charge for vehicles without FASTag or with an inactive FASTag from twice the normal fee to 1.25 times where payment is made through UPI, and lower rates following the upgrade of two-lane paved-shoulder highways to four or more lanes.Public finance data
The Government also reduced the fee multiplier for a national expressway operating on only part of its notified length, allowing the applicable fee to be charged at one time instead of 1.25 times.
The Ministry said it did not centrally maintain expenditure figures for running fee plazas because they operate under different models, including public-funded arrangements and public-private partnership modes such as Build-Operate-Transfer (Toll), Toll-Operate-Transfer, Infrastructure Investment Trust and Operate-Maintain-Transfer arrangements.
Operating costs are borne by the respective concessionaires or user fee collection agencies under the relevant agreements.
The Centre said it remained committed to making the tolling system more efficient, transparent and user-friendly while ensuring resources for the development and maintenance of the National Highway network.
