Current affairs · October 2026

NHAI starts Tamil Nadu's first barrierless toll system at Paranur

1 Oct 2026 · By the PrepMatic team · 2 min read

On 1 October 2026 the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced that it has rolled out Tamil Nadu's first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system at the Paranur Toll Plaza on the Tambaram to Tindivanam section of National Highway NH-179B. Vehicles pass through without stopping at a barrier.

How the system works

MLFF replaces the stop-and-pay lane with barrier-less tolling. It uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) together with FASTag-based electronic toll collection. The release lists these benefits:

• less human intervention in toll collection;
• savings in fuel and time;
• less congestion and lower vehicular emissions;
• more transparent and cost-effective toll operations.

Users must keep a working FASTag with enough balance to avoid an electronic notice (E-Notice). NHAI says it is introducing MLFF in phases and has already rolled it out at toll plazas in Gujarat (Chorayasi on NH-48), Delhi-NCR (Mundka-Bakkarwala on UER-II), Rajasthan (Shahjahanpur, Daulatpura and Manoharpura on the Delhi-Jaipur section of NH-48) and Haryana (Gharaunda on NH-44).

Why it matters for TNPSC

Highways and technology in transport appear in Unit II, Geography, and in Unit V on infrastructure. The release is a Union item with a Tamil Nadu location: the stretch runs from Tambaram near Chennai to Tindivanam, and NHAI works under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Read the geography guide for national highways and major routes.

Practice questions

Question 1. At which toll plaza was Tamil Nadu's first Multi-Lane Free Flow tolling system rolled out?

• A. Sriperumbudur
• B. Paranur
• C. Vaniyambadi
• D. Salem

Question 2. Which technologies does the MLFF system use together, according to the release?

• A. RFID cards and cash lanes
• B. GPS trackers and QR codes
• C. ANPR and FASTag
• D. Biometric scanners and smart cards

Answers

1. B. The system is at Paranur on the Tambaram-Tindivanam section of NH-179B.
2. C. NHAI says MLFF uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition and FASTag-based electronic toll collection.

Source

• PIB, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways: NHAI rolls out Tamil Nadu's first barrierless MLFF tolling, 1 October 2026

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