By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 13: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), PIU Shillong, has issued a revised set of toll revenue figures for Meghalaya after discrepancies were flagged through an RTI query, prompting a review of data earlier supplied for two different reporting periods.
The clarification, shared recently, followed an RTI filed by Rakesh Hazarika, Executive Director of the Centre for Efficient Governance, who has consistently raised concerns over toll accounting on national highways. The corrected figures show that during FY 2024-25, Pahammawlein Toll Plaza collected Rs 61.26 crore, Diengpasoh Rs 24.80 crore, Pasyih Rs 9.99 crore, while Lumshnong reported zero collection. The total toll revenue from Meghalaya for the financial year stands at Rs 96.05 crore.
The revision came after PIU Shillong had earlier provided identical toll collection figures for FY 2023–24 and Calendar Year 2024, two periods that overlap for only nine months. The anomaly prompted questions over data accuracy. “That raised an immediate red flag,” Hazarika said, adding that identical figures across two distinct time frames pointed to a clerical or compilation error.
Following a request for re-verification by the Centre for Efficient Governance, NHAI corrected the data. The earlier figures for FY 2023–24 had shown total collections of Rs 90.26 crore, indicating an increase in toll revenue in FY 2024-25.
The RTI response also reiterated that Meghalaya still does not have a single Wayside Amenities (WSA) facility, despite toll collection continuing for over eleven years. The state’s first toll plaza at Diengpasoh began operations in 2014.
