Jaipur, Feb. 2 -- Data from the Union transport and highway ministry has placed Rajasthan among the highest contributors to toll revenue in the last couple of financial years in the country. For the current financial year, fee collections up till December on the state's national highways amounted to Rs.5,386 crore, showed the data, which was tabled by Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari in the Lok Sabha on Saturday. For 2024-25, total collections amounted to Rs.6,289 crore, second only to Uttar Pradesh (Rs.6,573.82 crore). According to the ministry, 8,731 kilometres of national highways in the state were toll-enforced, with 174 toll plazas operational across the state, which accounted for nearly one-sixth of the total toll-enforced highway length in the country. Gadkari presented the data in response to a starred question raised amid complaints over the state's disproportionately high number of toll plazas relative to highway length, which resulted in frequent payments in short intervals and the ensuing financial stress on commuters and businesses. The ministry addressed these concerns by clarifying that the average distance between a pair of toll plazas in the state was 50.18 kilometres, which was slightly higher than the national average of 48.87 kilometres. To be sure, tolls are levied based on the "project influence length" of each highway stretch as well as the physical location of plazas. According to the data, collections in the state displayed a steady rise over the last five years. Revenue increases beginning from Rs.3,940 crore in 2021-22 from Rs.3,330 crore in the previous financial year, to the peak of Rs.6,289 crore in 2024-25, displayed sustained growth. Toll collections nearly doubled over the five-year period, highlighting the state's heavy highway usage and transit traffic. Rajasthan's toll revenue collection in 2024-25 also surpassed several economically significant states such as Tamil Nadu (Rs.4,459,41 crore) and Karnataka (Rs.4,320.27 crore). Addressing demands for removal of "unnecessary" toll plazas, the ministry stated that all fee plazas in Rajasthan were established as per notifications issued under the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008, after detailed assessment of land availability, municipal limits, safety norms, forest clearances and traffic diversion requirements. To provide relief to road users and improve travel efficiency, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has announced the rollout of a Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system. The system will use FASTag, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and AI-based analytics to deduct toll without vehicles stopping or slowing down at plazas. The state government has introduced an annual toll pass for non-commercial vehicles such as cars, jeeps and vans. For a fee of Rs.3,000, private vehicle owners can avail up to 200 toll crossings or one year of validity across national highways....