Bastara toll plaza set for seamless travel with MLFF system

January 21, 2026 Hot from the Oven Valli Sarvani

Highway infrastructure upgrades often transform daily commuting, and the Bastara toll plaza is now on the verge of such a change.

Located on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway, the plaza plays a critical role in connecting the national capital with northern states.

For years, it has been a major congestion point on National Highway 44.

The introduction of the multi-lane free flow (MLFF) tolling system aims to finally resolve these long-standing issues.

The MLFF system is designed to make toll collection completely barrier-free. Under this setup, vehicles will no longer need to stop or slow down at toll booths.

Instead, tolls will be collected electronically as vehicles pass through open lanes. This change is expected to significantly reduce waiting time and improve traffic movement along this busy stretch.

The system will rely on a combination of advanced technologies. FASTag will remain the primary toll payment method for most users.

Alongside this, high-performance RFID readers will scan vehicle tags in real time. Automatic number plate recognition cameras will also capture vehicle registration numbers.

These technologies will work together to identify vehicles accurately and deduct the applicable toll amount from linked accounts.

Removing physical booths and barriers will free up valuable road space. As a result, vehicles can maintain consistent speeds through the toll area.

This seamless flow should help eliminate long queues, especially during peak traffic hours. Moreover, smoother movement will reduce fuel consumption and cut down vehicular emissions.

Bastara toll plaza has long troubled commuters, particularly drivers of heavy commercial vehicles and buses.

Night hours see a surge in such traffic, which often leads to severe congestion. These delays increase travel time and operational costs for transporters.

The MLFF system directly addresses these root causes by allowing uninterrupted vehicle movement.

Installation of the required equipment is currently underway. According to toll plaza manager Mukesh Sharma, once the system is fully installed, existing booths will be dismantled.

Testing will follow to ensure accurate toll deduction and vehicle identification. The MLFF system is expected to become operational by January 26.

The Bastara toll plaza spans nearly 500 metres on NH-44 and falls under Karnal’s Gharaunda sub-division. It is also significant at the national level.

Bastara will become only the second toll plaza in India to adopt MLFF technology, after Choryasi in Gujarat. This upgrade marks an important step toward faster, cleaner, and more efficient highway travel.

Image Credit: TeshTesh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons