Senate Committee questions billions collected through M Tag

The Senate Standing Committee on Communications on Monday questioned the National Highway Authority over the M Tag tolling

Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Communications on Monday questioned the National Highway Authority over the M Tag tolling system and demanded a detailed report on the billions of rupees collected from citizens through the digital toll facility.

During a meeting chaired by Senator Pervaiz Rashid, the committee reviewed the shift from manual toll collection to M Tag and questioned whether motorists were receiving better services in return for the money being collected from them. The Chairman of the Committee asked the NHA to provide complete details of M Tag collections and explain how the system was performing across the national highway network.

The committee also questioned the continued collection of toll charges at several toll plazas that had already recovered 100 percent of their financial costs in previous years. Senators said that continued toll collection needed to be linked with better road conditions and improved facilities for commuters.

Officials informed the committee that toll rates had been revised after five years and also shared details of both automated and manual toll collection. The committee made it clear that any increase in toll charges should result in better facilities for road users and improvements in the infrastructure.

The committee also raised concerns about public service linked with the tolling system. It noted that people contacting NHA call centers were often directed to automated messages instead of being connected with live staff. The committee called for immediate steps to improve public support and make it easier for motorists to get answers to their complaints and questions.

The discussion placed M Tag at the centre of concerns over transparency, public service and the use of toll money. The committee wanted NHA to clearly show how much money was being collected through the digital system and how the funds were being used for roads, maintenance and facilities for commuters.

The Chairman also directed the NHA to ensure that money collected from the public through tolls was strictly reinvested in road construction, maintenance and commuter facilities. A compliance report on the directions issued by the committee was ordered for its next meeting.