New Delhi: MCD is racing against time to meet the Oct 31 deadline to implement the multi-lane free flow tolling system at 20 major entry points into the city.While the civic body has installed overhead gantries at the locations, the remaining equipment, like the control system, is expected to be put in place within a couple of days.The move follows a Supreme Court directive mandating the installation of barrier-free MLFF systems, integrated with RFID readers and ANPR cameras, at Delhi’s border toll plazas to ease congestion and reduce pollution.In Dec 2025, SC had expressed concern over severe traffic congestion around Delhi’s border toll plazas and questioned why toll collection could not be temporarily suspended or shifted to ease snarls. NHAI had informed SC long queues and idling vehicles at MCD’s nine border toll booths were contributing significantly to winter air pollution.Thereafter, MCD set a target of Oct 31 to install the system at 20 of the 154 toll points that account for nearly 85% of the traffic entering Delhi. These include Ghazipur, Rajokri, Badarpur, Dwarka, Aya Nagar and Delhi-Gurgaon corridor. The remaining plazas will be covered by Dec-end. Besides toll, MCD also collects environment compensation charge at all entry points.The impact of congestion is visible at several entry points. TOI witnessed jams at Ghazipur toll plaza, both on Delhi-Meerut Expressway and its side carriageway, over the past three days, including during afternoon hours. It, however, found the gantries in place at these two places.MCD plans to conduct a trial run at the 20 locations next week. “We aim to complete the work within a limited timeframe, and have moved quickly in this regard. The work order was issued in June after anticipatory approval, but permission from NHAI to implement the system on major roads was received only on Sept 15,” a senior MCD official said.The MCD standing committee Friday formally approved the project. According to the tender floated by MCD, the selected agency will be responsible for designing, developing, commissioning, operating and maintaining the MLFF infrastructure for six years. The scope of work includes field surveys, engineering design, installation of gantry-mounted equipment, integration with the existing RFID ecosystem, and operation and maintenance.Toll charges will be deducted automatically while vehicles are in motion through a combination of RFID technology and ANPR cameras. Vehicles equipped with RFID tags will be charged as they pass under overhead gantries, while high-definition ANPR cameras will capture registration numbers for verification.The system is similar to FASTag-based toll collection on national highways but is designed to allow vehicles to pass without stopping at barriers.“Each entry point will be equipped with RFID readers and antennas, high-definition ANPR cameras, surveillance cameras and infrared illumination units. To ensure uninterrupted operations, two overhead gantries, one primary and one backup, are being installed in each direction about 200 metres before the existing toll plazas,” MCD stated.Digital notices will be generated for vehicles whose passage through the MLFF network is recorded but whose applicable toll tax or ECC remains unpaid.
