India's Transition From Open Tolling System To Closed Tolling System – A Legal Analysis

Introduction

Currently, India has the second-largest road network in the world, with a total length of over 6.6 million kilometers. Out of this, the national highway network comprises about 2% (approximately 135,000 km) of the total road length, but it carries over 40% of the country's total road traffic.

One of the major initiatives launched by the government was the Bharatmala Pariyojana¹, which aims to develop 34,800 km of highways at a cost of Rs. 5.35 lakh crore. The project is to provide seamless connectivity to major ports, economic corridors, border areas, and backward regions. The project has been divided into seven phases, and work has already begun on several stretches of the highway.