bdnews24.com :
Vehicles will not have to pay toll to use existing highways under the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has said Tuesday.
The Cabinet approved the draft of the National Toll Policy-2014 on Monday sanctioning the imposition of toll on the use of national, regional and district highways under the RHD.
Currently, motorists pay toll only for using bridges and three highways.
“The government will decide the issue by considering all aspects when new highways are built,” the minister said. Quader added that media reports about the new toll policy had led to confusion. “The briefing is intended to make things clear.”
Tolls collection is at present under the jurisdiction of the finance division as per the Toll Act of 1851. But this arrangement creates problems, the minister said.
“The new policy is aimed at making the toll collection system more modern and transparent,” he added.
Motorists now pay tolls in three highways, 61 bridges and 50 ferry crossings, according to Quader.
The new policy makes bridges less than 200 metres long toll-free, but using bridges, which would be built to replace ferry crossings would cost money, he added.
Vehicles will not have to pay toll to use existing highways under the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has said Tuesday.
The Cabinet approved the draft of the National Toll Policy-2014 on Monday sanctioning the imposition of toll on the use of national, regional and district highways under the RHD.
Currently, motorists pay toll only for using bridges and three highways.
“The government will decide the issue by considering all aspects when new highways are built,” the minister said. Quader added that media reports about the new toll policy had led to confusion. “The briefing is intended to make things clear.”
Tolls collection is at present under the jurisdiction of the finance division as per the Toll Act of 1851. But this arrangement creates problems, the minister said.
“The new policy is aimed at making the toll collection system more modern and transparent,” he added.
Motorists now pay tolls in three highways, 61 bridges and 50 ferry crossings, according to Quader.
The new policy makes bridges less than 200 metres long toll-free, but using bridges, which would be built to replace ferry crossings would cost money, he added.
