Govt Halves Tolls on Tunnel and Flyover Highway Sections

07 Jul 2025 CW Team

Commercial vehicle owners will soon pay far less to use national highways featuring costly structures such as tunnels, bridges, flyovers and elevated stretches. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has amended the National Highway Fee Rules 2008, reducing toll calculations for these segments by as much as 50 per cent.

Under the notification of 2 July, the tollable length of any highway section that consists wholly or partly of a structure is now whichever is smaller: ten times the structure’s own length, or five times the total section length. Only half of that computed distance is then billed at the standard per kilometre rate.

MoRTH illustrated the change with a 40 kilometre section made entirely of structures. Instead of being charged on 400 kilometres (the former rule of ten times the length), the fee will now be based on 200 kilometres—five times the section length—and only half of that, 100 kilometres, will attract the user charge.

The National Highways Authority of India notes that the old formula compensated for the high capital cost of building major structures. The new approach, officials say, brings charges closer to road users’ ability to pay while still recouping investment over time.

Infrastructure Urban

03 Apr 2026

Centre Disburses Over Rs 24,610 mn in XV Finance Commission Grants

The Union Government has released XV Finance Commission tied grants during the financial year 2025–26 to rural local bodies in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Sikkim and has released withheld portions of tied and untied grants to Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Tripura. The total disbursal exceeded Rs 24,610 mn, with figures expressed in million (mn) thereafter. The releases cover allocations pertaining to different financial years and aim to strengthen rural local governance. State-wise disbursements included Rs 3,324.6 mn for Punjab, Rs 9,432.7 mn for Madhya Pradesh, Rs 3,47..

Centre Releases Over Rs 15 bn as XV FC Grants to Rural Bodies

The Union Government has released over Rs 15 bn in grants recommended by the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) in six states. The funds comprise tied and untied grants disbursed in FY 2025–26. Telangana received Rs 2.48 bn as the first instalment of untied grants for FY 2025–26, benefitting 12600 Gram Panchayats (GPs). Uttarakhand received Rs 913.1 mn as the second instalment and an additional Rs 18.4 mn of a withheld first instalment was released to a further 216 GPs. Mizoram is included among beneficiary st..

Government Assures Fuel Supplies And Seafarer Safety Amid West Asia Developments

The Government of India has stepped up coordinated measures to maintain stability in critical sectors as developments in West Asia continue to unfold. It has prioritised uninterrupted energy supplies, safeguarded maritime operations and extended consular assistance to nationals. Central authorities are working with State and Union territory administrations to ensure timely information dissemination and operational continuity. Refineries are reported to be operating at high capacity with adequate inventories of petrol and diesel, and domestic LPG production has been increased to support consump..