The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) incurred an approximate revenue loss of Rs 3,512.62 crore in FY21 due to Covid-19 induced restrictions. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, said that the estimated user fee collections in FY 2019-20 and 2020-21 were at Rs 27,682.89 crore and Rs 28,548.05 crore, respectively. Gadkari said that an approximate amount of Rs 3,512.62 crore in FY21 is the estimated loss of revenue in fee collection at fee plazas of the National Highways Authority of India due to restrictions of Covid-19. He said that due to continued protest by farmers in Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana, 58 fee plazas were not running for 12 days to a maximum of 182 days in FY 2020-21, leading to an approximated loss of Rs 814.13 crore. Sporadic incidents of protest were witnessed at few plazas like Thrivallam fee plaza in Kerala and Padmanavpur and Sukhupada fee plazas in Odisha. To enhance transparency and effectiveness in fee collection, Gadkari said that the government declared all lanes of fee plazas on national highways as FASTag lanes. Replying to a separate question, the minister said that in 2020-21, 5,381 km of state roads were announced as new national highways in the nation. Replying to another question, Gadkari said that based on the proposals obtained from state governments/union territories (UTs), the ministry has allowed approximately Rs 103,700 crore in FY 2021-22, for approval of projects for the development of national highways entrusted with state governments/UTs, as part of the national infrastructure pipeline, to be executed in the following 2-3 years. Image Source Also read: Yearly average construction of highways in last seven years at 9,000 km