Delhi will soon see the installation of a barrierless, free-flow toll system at the entry points of its border. Vehicles entering the national capital will pass through Delhi’s border toll points without stopping as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has initiated introducing a multi-lane, free-flow, barrier toll collection system, which is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and vehicular emissions in the city’s entry points.
According to this plan, the MCD will upgrade its toll and environmental compensation charge (ECC) collection to an MLFF (Multi-Lane Free Flow) system across its 154 border entry points, PTI has reported. The report quoted a senior MCD official saying that the proposed system will replace the existing stop-and-pay mechanism with an automated, technology-driven model that combines Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. He further said that the system will also be embedded with artificial intelligence and vehicle detection sensors to enable seamless toll collection, similar to the FASTag-based system on national highways.
The MCD official reportedly said that the move is intended to tackle long-standing congestion at major Delhi borders where several commercial vehicles queue up daily, leading to delays, fuel wastage and increased pollution. “We are moving towards an ANPR camera-based toll collection system along the lines of highways, and everything is being done according to the direction of the Supreme Court,” he added. With this system implemented, the vehicle owners will not be required to stop at the toll plazas, as the new system will automatically deduct taxes similar to the FASTag system on national highways.
How will the system work?
Under the proposed system, vehicles equipped with RFID tags, commonly known as FASTags, will have toll charges deducted automatically while moving through designated gantries without stopping, just like the current FASTag-based toll collection system works on the national highways.
The only difference here will be that, unlike the conventional toll plazas, where the vehicle needs to be stopped for the installed cameras to detect the registration plate and connect the system with the central server to deduct the amount from the FASTag wallet, the high-definition ANPR cameras will simultaneously capture vehicle registration numbers for validation and enforcement without the vehicles stopping at the plaza.
The MCD official reportedly said that each toll gantry lane will be equipped with RFID antennas and RFID readers, LIDAR (light detection and ranging) and RADAR (radio detection and ranging) vehicle detectors, ANPR cameras, surveillance cameras, and infrared illuminators, among other technologies. He also added that at least two overhead gantries, a primary and a redundant one, will be installed in each direction, approximately 200 metres from the existing toll plaza to ensure uninterrupted operations. The technology will also help identify vehicles attempting to evade payment.
Under the proposed MLFF regulations, drivers whose vehicles are detected by the ANPR system but do not have an active RFID tag will be penalised under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, and the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Toll Tax) Bye-Laws, 2007.
New system aims to reduce vehicular congestion and emissions
The MCD has identified severe congestion and elevated vehicular emissions at Delhi’s entry points as key challenges associated with the existing toll collection mechanism.
The volume of vehicles entering Delhi underlines the scale of the proposed upgrade. According to the MCD, the daily trip traffic count data for April 2025 to March 2026 showed that over 3.18 crore category-I vehicles, including taxis, crossed the toll points during the period. In addition to that, more than 90 lakh category-II and III vehicles, which include the light commercial vehicles and double-axle trucks and over 18 lakh category-IV and V vehicles, including the triple-axle trucks and vehicles with over four axles, entered the national capital through the city’s toll points during the same period. In the existing system, manual toll collection, inadequate RFID wallet balances and toll evasion frequently create bottlenecks, particularly at the busy entry points such as Ghazipur, Rajokri, Badarpur and the Sirhaul-Delhi-Gurugram border.
MCD believes that eliminating existing stop-and-go traffic at border points will not only improve travel time but also significantly reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions caused by idling vehicles. MCD official reportedly added that the upgrade to a barrier-free MLFF system will improve traffic movement at Delhi’s borders while reducing idling time, fuel consumption, and carbon emissions generated by thousands of vehicles entering the city every day.
