Guwahati: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) collected Rs 500.8 crore in toll revenue from ten toll gates across Assam during the calendar year 2024, according to data released in response to an RTI application.
The information was obtained by Rakesh Hazarika, Executive Director of the Centre for Efficient Governance, who filed the RTI seeking details of toll collections. The data also highlighted that the newly opened Telipara Toll Plaza collected Rs 2.46 crore within just 24 days of its commissioning on December 8, 2024.
However, Hazarika has raised serious concerns over what he terms “abnormal and unexplained fluctuations” in toll revenue at the Galia Toll Plaza. He has filed a vigilance complaint with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), alleging discrepancies in revenue figures after the plaza’s jurisdiction shifted from NHAI’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in Guwahati to PIU Bongaigaon.
According to Hazarika, toll revenue at Galia stood at Rs 11.72 crore — averaging Rs 5.86 lakh per day — during the first 200 days of 2023 under PIU Guwahati. But after the transfer to PIU Bongaigaon, revenue surged to Rs 24.01 crore in just 165 days, averaging Rs 14.55 lakh per day — a 148% jump.
Initially, NHAI attributed the spike to routine toll fee revisions. But following Hazarika’s formal complaint to the CVC (Complaint No. 117341/2025), NHAI’s Guwahati PIU admitted that its earlier RTI replies contained “typographical errors.”
“Such shifting and casual explanations raise serious doubts about transparency in toll revenue management. When it comes to financial data, repeated changes in official figures are not minor mistakes — they point to systemic corruption and inefficiencies,” Hazarika said.
He welcomed the decision of NHAI’s Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) to initiate a detailed investigation into the matter. Hazarika also urged NHAI to adopt a system of releasing toll revenue data on a quarterly basis to ensure transparency, prevent discrepancies, and build public trust.