NHAI: Body Cameras To Monitor Commuter, Attendants’ Behaviour At Toll Plazas

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed during violence and anticipated violence at the toll plazas.

Flooded with instances of serious altercations and even violence at toll plazas on National Highways (NHs) over non-payment of user fees and misbehaviour by commuters and attendants, all lane supervisors at these sites will now need to wear body cameras to record them.  

In the past, there have been several instances of physical assaults on toll booth attendants and commuters over the issues of non-payment of user fees by locals, longer waiting time at toll plazas and also malfunctioning of FASTag readers.

The SOP also directs the regional officers of NHAI to sensitise state governments, to direct local police to register complaints and file FIRs in case of violence at any toll plaza.

Specifying how the staff at toll plazas should deal with any unruly behaviour by commuters, NHAI has said that if a road user is behaving unruly or speaking loudly for any reason, the lane supervisor should immediately intervene and try to resolve the issue.

The authority has also said that in case any road user refuses to pay toll, the supervisor should politely insist him to pay the fees.

“If the matter persists, local police may be called and an FIR should be lodged. The entire incident should be recorded by mobile video camera by other staff,” NHAI maintains.

The toll plaza operators have been directed to report about any incident of violence to the project director within 12 hours.

The SOP also specifies that the toll operator has to get the police verification done for all staff deployed at the plazas and give behavioural training to them. The staff also must wear uniform while on duty.

These will now become part of the contract document signed by NHAI and toll operators.