Published on 12:03 AM, March 24, 2014

Toll for using roads, bridges

Toll for using roads, bridges

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chairs a cabinet meeting which approved a toll policy for all naitonal, regional and district-level roads and bridges.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chairs a cabinet meeting Monday, which approved a toll policy for all naitonal, regional and district-level roads and bridges.

The government today approved a policy slapping toll for vehicles to use all national, regional, district-level roads and bridges.

As per the National Toll Policy-2014, vehicles that ply 22,000 kilometres roads under the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) will have to pay minimum toll of Tk 5 and maximum of Tk 1,000.

The decision came at a regular meeting of the cabinet at the Secretariat, presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Vehicles that use the roads and bridges have been divided into 13 separate categories for the sake of toll collection, Cabinet Secretary M Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting. 

Asked about the rational of slapping such tolls, he said the policy was approved to ensure transparency in toll collection process.

"In return for the toll, the government will provide a service for the people. Conditions of the roads will be improved," he said.

The government will decide a base toll for each road and lay out the details including the toll amount soon, he added.

Roads under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) remain out of the purview of the toll policy, the cabinet secretary added.

The policy will affect a hike on the prices of all types of the items including foods.