ANPR cameras: Explained: What is the Govt’s new model for toll collection on highways?

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: What is the Govt’s new model for toll collection on highways?” published in Indian Express on 24th August 2022.

What is the News?

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is planning to remove all the toll plazas on the national highways and rely on Automatic Number Plate Reader(ANPR) cameras.

How do Automatic Number Plate Reader(ANPR) cameras work?

ANPR cameras will read the vehicle number plates and automatically deduct toll fees from the bank accounts of the vehicle owners. The entries and exits of the toll roads will have these cameras installed.

Can all number plates be read by these ANPR cameras?

Not all number plates in India can be read, and only those that have come after 2019 will be registered by the cameras.

In 2019, the government had come up with a rule mandating passenger vehicles to have company-fitted number plates, and only these number plates can be read by cameras. The government plans to come up with a scheme to replace older number plates.

What is the current model for toll collection on Indian highways?

Currently, about 97% of the total toll collection of nearly Rs 40,000 crore happens though FASTags — the remaining 3% pay higher than normal toll rates for not using FASTags.

While FASTags have eased traffic at toll plazas across the country, congestion is still reported as there are toll gates that need to be crossed after authentication. 

Are there any issues with ANPR cameras?

The biggest problem being faced during the trials is when things are written on number plates, beyond the nine-digit registration number, such as ‘govt of India/Delhi’ and names of Gods etc.

Another problem that ANPR cameras face is in reading number plates on trucks, as most of the time they are hidden or soiled etc.