Examine the role of ANPR- and RFID-based systems in modernising India's road transport ecosystem, with reference to MLFF.

Q. Examine the role of ANPR- and RFID-based systems in modernising India's road transport ecosystem, with reference to MLFF. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling — barrier-less fee collection combining Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) with RFID-based FASTag — marks India's shift from booth-based to open-road tolling. Launched first at Choryasi (Surat–Bharuch, NH-48) in Gujarat [2] and extended in June 2026 to Daulatpura on the Delhi–Jaipur section of NH-48, Rajasthan's first such plaza [1], it makes these technologies the backbone of highway modernisation.

Technological role - Dual-mode verification: ANPR computer vision identifies the vehicle even when the FASTag is missing or non-functional, while RFID enables deduction at highway speeds [1]. - Gantry sensors linked to back-end clearing houses and the VAHAN database allow tolling without stopping — a transport-sector Digital Public Infrastructure.

Economic and logistical gains - Eliminates queuing on a high-density freight corridor, cutting fuel waste, travel time and logistics costs [1]. - Reduces cash handling and plaza staffing; NHAI plans to migrate Shahjahanpur and Manoharpur plazas similarly [1].

Governance and environmental value - Minimal human interface curbs pilferage and disputes; an Electronic Notice (E-Notice) with a 72-hour payment window formalises post-pay recovery, doubling the fee thereafter [1]. - Ending idling at booths lowers fuel burn and vehicular emissions [2].

Limitations - Accuracy depends on plate legibility, tampering and clean VAHAN records; enforcement is post-facto, not preventive. - Mass plate capture raises privacy concerns, governed only generally by the DPDP Act, 2023, with no ETC-specific safeguard. - Requires interoperable banking and wallet settlement; low-balance users still generate recovery burdens.

MLFF thus demonstrates how sensing and identification technologies convert tolling from a physical chokepoint into a data transaction. Scaling it will need purpose-limited data-retention norms, VAHAN database cleaning, and grievance redress before migration to GNSS-based tolling. Aligned with PM Gati Shakti and SDG-9's resilient-infrastructure goal, ANPR–RFID systems can make Indian highways seamless, cleaner and more accountable.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. NHAI Successfully Launches Rajasthan's first Multi-Lane Free Flow Tolling System at Daulatpura Toll Plaza on the Delhi-Jaipur Section of NH-48, PIB (19 June 2026) — Daulatpura MLFF launch, ANPR+FASTag design, E-Notice and 72-hour window, Shahjahanpur and Manoharpur expansion 2. Gadkari rolls out India's first barrier-less tolling system on NH-48 in Gujarat, DD News (Prasar Bharati) — India's first MLFF at Choryasi; congestion, fuel-efficiency and emission benefits