Advertisement
What really powers the cloud? Behind every Google search, A...
A lot of what defines a home isn’t visible at handover. I...
Private equity has played a significant role in shaping Indi...
Luxury real estate is one of the most talked-about segments ...
Airports play a much bigger role than just enabling travel -...
The Bihar Cabinet has approved a new framework for levying user fees on state highways, introducing a dedicated mechanism to finance the development, upgradation and maintenance of the state's road network. Cleared under the Road User Fee (Determination and Collection of Rates) Rules, 2026, the policy establishes vehicle-wise user fee rates, annual revisions, exemptions for specified categories, concessional passes and discounts for frequent users. It also prescribes higher charges for vehicles without FASTag and contains provisions relating to overloaded vehicles.
The Bihar government has approved a policy to introduce user fees on state highways, creating a dedicated revenue mechanism to support the development, upgradation and maintenance of road infrastructure across the state. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shri Samrat Choudhary in the past week, with ministers clearing the Road User Fee (Determination and Collection of Rates) Rules, 2026, which authorise the collection of charges from road users on state-owned highway assets.
According to officials, the new rules are intended to ensure a sustainable source of funding for maintaining road infrastructure that has expanded considerably in recent years. The Road Construction Department stated that Bihar has invested extensively in state highways, major bridges, bypasses and associated transport infrastructure, resulting in improved travel efficiency, shorter journey times and enhanced road safety. The department said the user fee mechanism would help preserve these assets while supporting future improvements to the state's road network.
Under the approved framework, user fee rates will be prescribed for different categories of vehicles and revised annually. The rules also include provisions for exemptions covering specified categories of users, along with concessional passes and discounts for frequent users eligible under the scheme. In addition, motorists travelling without FASTag will be required to pay higher user charges, while separate provisions have been incorporated to address overloaded vehicles using the state highway network.
Officials indicated that the policy has been designed to establish a structured approach to financing road maintenance rather than relying solely on government budgetary allocations. By linking road usage with maintenance funding, the state aims to support the long-term upkeep of transport infrastructure and ensure that highway assets remain operational and serviceable as traffic volumes increase.
During the same Cabinet meeting, the government approved several other infrastructure and public service initiatives. These included the allotment of five acres of government land for each of five new Kendriya Vidyalayas to be established at Madhubani in Purnea district, Pilkhi in Nalanda, Nimi in Sheikhpura, Sahugarh in Madhepura and Rajnagar in Madhubani district. The state government also cleared a proposal for the modernisation and comprehensive redevelopment of 31 bus stands to create safer and more environmentally friendly public transport facilities. Separately, approval was granted for the development, beautification and improved access to the Lord Vaman Temple located within the Central Jail complex in Buxar, including construction of a boundary wall and related security infrastructure.
Source - PTI
Advertisement
Facebook
Whatsapp
