Revised User Fees for National Highway 753L in Maharashtra Notified

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued Notification S.O. 3929(E) on August 26, 2025, which came into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette on August 27, 2025. This notification establishes a new fee structure for a specific section of National Highway (NH) 753L in Maharashtra. The Central Government, exercising powers under section 7 of the National Highways Act, 1956 (an Act providing for the declaration of certain highways as national highways and for matters connected therewith), read with rule 3 of the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, has levied these fees. The issuance of this notification supersedes the previous fee notification, S.O. No. 591(E), dated February 8, 2024. The new fee applies to the two-lane section with paved shoulders of Pahur-Jamner-Bodhwad-Muktainagar-Barahanpur Pkg-I (from km 0.000 to 44.760) and 15.74 km of Pkg II (from km 44.760 to 60.500) of NH 753L. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the statutory body responsible for the development and maintenance of National Highways, is authorized to collect these fees through its officials or contractors. The fee is set at sixty percent of the base rate specified in Table 1 of the notification for a net road section length of 60.27 kilometers and an equivalent structure length of 2.30 kilometers. The notification details specific rates for various vehicle types, including cars, jeeps, light motor vehicles, light commercial vehicles, buses, trucks, multi-axle vehicles, and oversized vehicles, based on a 2007-08 base rate. The fee is payable at a staggered fee plaza located at Ch. 2.140 (RHS) and Ch. 2.250 (LHS) of NH-753 L near Pahur village in Taluka-Jamner, District Jalgaon.

The legislative intent behind this notification is to ensure the sustainable development and maintenance of national highways by recovering the capital cost incurred in their construction and improvement through user fees. The earlier legal position allowed for fee collection under the National Highways Act, 1956, and the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. This notification addresses the need for a revised and updated fee structure for the specified section of NH 753L, particularly after a portion of the highway was entrusted to the State Government of Maharashtra by a prior notification. The legislation provided: “the Central Government hereby levies the fee at sixty per cent of the base rate specified in column (2) of the Table 1... for use of two lane with paved shoulder section of Pahur-Jamner-Bodhwad-Muktainagar-Barahanpur Pkg-I... of National Highway number 753L in the State of Maharashtra and authorises the National Highways Authority of India to collect... the said fee”. This measure aims to fill the statutory gap by precisely defining the applicable rates and collection mechanisms for this particular stretch, superseding the previous notification. The notification introduces new obligations for highway users to pay fees and grants NHAI the right to collect them. It also outlines specific provisions for monthly passes for local residents, set at Rs 350.00 for the year 2025-26 for non-commercial vehicles registered within a twenty-kilometer radius of the fee plaza, with annual revisions. Furthermore, it specifies rates for multiple journey passes and offers a fifty percent discount for commercial vehicles registered in the district where the fee plaza is located, provided no alternative service road is available. A crucial enforcement mechanism is detailed for overloaded vehicles, stipulating that drivers or owners must pay a fee equivalent to that specified in sub-rule 1A of rule 10 of the rules and are prohibited from using the highway section until the excess load is removed. All relevant definitions, including vehicle categories and permissible loads, are to be interpreted as per the existing rules. The fee rates will be displayed for public information in accordance with rule 12 of the said rules, and the actual fee amounts, along with discounts, will be calculated and annually revised by NHAI, with publication in both English and vernacular newspapers. The estimated capital cost of the project is Rs. 308.07 crore, and NHAI is tasked with maintaining records of capital cost recovery through the user fees collected.

Keywords: National Highway 753L, Maharashtra, Toll Fees, User Charges, NHAI, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Fee Plaza, Jalgaon, National Highways Act, 1956, National Highways Fee Rules, 2008

Geo Tags: India, Maharashtra
District: Jalgaon