Central Government Imposes New Toll Fees on National Highway 731 in Uttar Pradesh

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently issued Notification S.O. 3930(E) on August 26, 2025, establishing new fee collection mechanisms for a section of National Highway 731 in Uttar Pradesh. This notification, published in the Gazette of India, formalizes the levy of user fees on mechanical vehicles utilizing the designated highway stretch. The issuance of this instrument follows the Central Government's earlier entrustment of National Highway No-731, which spans from its junction with NH-31 near Saidpur through various cities including Khuthan, Jaunpur, Sultanpur, Lucknow, Hardoi, Shajahanpur, and terminating at Paliya, to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under Section 11 of the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988. The new fee structure applies to the section of NH-731 from Km. 40.000 to Km. 88.750, specifically covering the start of Khutar bypass to the start of Shahjahanpur bypass. The notification came into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette.

The notification specifies varying fee rates based on vehicle type and the characteristics of the road section used. Fees are levied at one hundred percent of the base rate for a net road section length of 2.125 km for the use of four or more lane sections, and at sixty percent of the base rate for a net road section length of 33.830 km for two-lane paved shoulder sections. Additionally, a fee equivalent to one and a half times the base rate is imposed for bypasses with a length of 12.505 km, such as the Khutar Bypass and Powayan Bypass, which incurred capital costs of ten crore rupees or more. The base rates, established for the year 2007-08, range from Rs. 0.65 per km for cars, jeeps, vans, or light motor vehicles to Rs. 4.20 per km for oversized vehicles with seven or more axles. A monthly pass is available for non-commercial mechanical vehicle owners residing within a twenty-kilometer radius of the fee plaza, priced at Rs. 350.00 for the year 2025-26, subject to annual revision. Provisions also detail fees for multiple journeys and for commercial vehicles registered in the district where the fee plaza is located, with a fifty percent discount if no service or alternative road is available. Furthermore, drivers or owners of overloaded mechanical vehicles are liable to pay a specific fee for entering the National Highway, and they are not permitted to use the highway section until the excess load is removed. The legislation provided: “Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 of the National Highways Act, 1956 (48 of 1956), read with rule 3 of the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 and amended from time to time (hereinafter referred to as the rules), the Central Government hereby levies the fee on mechanical vehicles at hundred per cent of the rate specified in column (2) of the Table 1 for net road section length of 2.125 Km Table-2 for use of four or more lane section and at the sixty per cent of the rate specified in column (2) of the Table 1 for net road section length of 33.830 km Table-2 and for equivalent structure length (having length more than 60m) of 1.860 km (having structure length 0.186 km, Table-4) for use of two lane paved shoulder section and at one and one half times of the base rate for bypasses having length of 12.505 km Table-3 costing rupees ten crore or more for use of four or more lane section, on the type of vehicles specified in column (1) of the Table 1 below for the use of two and four lane of section Start of khutur bypass to start of Shahjahanpur bypass (from Km. 40.000 Km. 88.750) of National Highway number 731 in the State of Uttar Pradesh and authorizes the Authority to collect, either through its officials or through a contractor, the said fee…”

The legislative intent behind this notification is to facilitate the recovery of the estimated capital cost of the project, which stands at Rupees 762.62 Crore, through user fees. This mechanism ensures the financial sustainability of the highway infrastructure and its ongoing maintenance. The earlier legal position, established by the National Highways Act, 1956, and the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, provided the overarching framework for fee collection. This notification addresses the specific implementation details and rates for the newly entrusted and developed section of NH-731, thereby filling the statutory gap concerning the precise fee structure for this particular stretch. It introduces new obligations for vehicle users to pay specified fees and provides for enforcement through the NHAI or its contractors. The Authority is mandated to calculate the actual fee amounts and discounts based on the completed length of the section and revise them annually in accordance with rule 5 of the said rules, with public notification in at least one English and one vernacular newspaper. The capital cost is noted to be subject to variation as activities such as land acquisition, utility shifting, and tree cutting are yet to be fully completed, and the Authority is required to maintain a record of capital cost recovery through the realized user fees.

Keywords: National Highway 731, Toll Fees, NHAI, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Uttar Pradesh, Mechanical Vehicles, Fee Plaza, Road Infrastructure, User Fees, Capital Cost Recovery

Geo Tags: India, Uttar Pradesh
District: Shahjahanpur