Paranur Toll Plaza Gets Barrier-Free System for Seamless Vehicle Movement

Motorists travelling through the Tambaram-Tindivanam section of Tamil Nadu's national highway network will no longer need to stop at the Paranur toll plaza to pay toll. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has introduced a barrier-free toll collection system at Paranur from October 1, enabling vehicles to pass through the tolling zone without stopping at a booth. Located near Chengalpattu on National Highway 45, Paranur is the first toll plaza in Tamil Nadu to adopt fully automated fee collection under the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system.

The Paranur toll plaza is located on the 46.5-km Tambaram-Tindivanam stretch, a key highway corridor connecting areas south of Chennai. Under the new system, motorists can continue driving through the tolling area while the technology automatically identifies the vehicle and processes the applicable toll. The move is part of efforts to modernise toll collection on national highways and reduce delays associated with conventional toll plazas.

The system combines FASTag-linked radio-frequency identification technology with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. As a vehicle enters the tolling zone, overhead equipment reads the FASTag associated with the vehicle while cameras capture its registration number. These details are used to identify the vehicle and process the applicable user fee without requiring motorists to stop or remain in a designated toll lane.

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NHAI has said that barrier-free tolling is expected to improve traffic movement by reducing queues and waiting time at toll plazas. Eliminating prolonged idling can also help reduce fuel consumption and vehicular emissions, while lower manual intervention is intended to make toll collection more efficient. The system is designed to allow transactions to take place electronically as vehicles continue through the highway.

For motorists, having a valid and functional FASTag with sufficient balance remains important when using the new system. NHAI has said that an electronic notice will be issued in cases involving insufficient balance or an invalid or non-functional FASTag. Paranur's rollout is part of a broader transition towards barrier-free toll collection on Indian highways, with similar systems already introduced at locations in Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. Projects have also been awarded for other locations, including in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

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