Standardisation of design is as important as technology adoption for scaling public infrastructure reforms. Discuss with reference to NHAI's MLFF toll plaza guidelines.

A reform spreads across the country only when new technology comes with a design that can be repeated everywhere. NHAI's policy circular of November 2026 sets one standard toll plaza design for barrier-less Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling on four-lane and above National Highways [1]. It shows that FASTag–ANPR technology cannot cover the whole network unless every plaza follows the same physical template.

Why standardising design matters

• One national template: it fixes the plaza layout, cuts the number of lanes, and sets where gantries go, along with lighting and electronic variable message signs. Plazas are no longer designed one at a time [1].
• Phased adoption: new projects build the design into their DPRs. Projects already awarded adopt it through contract provisions, so concessions need not be renegotiated [1].
• Lower cost: fewer lanes mean less land and less civil work. Toll operating cost could fall from about 15% to 3–4% [2], but only if plazas are uniform.
• Safety: standard lighting and signage remove the stop-go points where vehicles merge [1].

Why technology is still essential

• The core function: RFID readers pick up the FASTag and ANPR cameras read the number plate. Enforcement runs on an e-Notice: pay the normal fee within 72 hours, otherwise pay double [3]. Without this, a standard gantry is just an empty structure.
• Proof that it works: the Choryasi plaza (NH-48) handled about 41,500 vehicles on its first day [3].
• Parliament's push: the Standing Committee on Transport recommended ANPR cameras at congested plazas [4].
• Environment: expected annual savings are about 250 crore litres of fuel and about 81,000 tonnes of emissions [2].

Gaps that neither design nor technology fixes

• Data quality: NHAI has ordered banks to blacklist FASTags linked to invalid vehicle registration numbers [5]. Neither a good gantry nor a good camera can correct a wrong database.
• Wrong fee rates: CAG Report No. 7 of 2023 found an undue burden of ₹132.05 crore on road users [6]. Collecting a wrong rate faster does not make it right.
• Disputes: there is no standard process for challenging a wrong e-Notice.

Design and technology work together. Technology makes barrier-less tolling possible, and standard design lets it spread across the network. To scale MLFF well, NHAI should combine the circular with three steps:

• clean up FASTag data against VAHAN records;
• publish e-Notice data for each plaza;
• add an online dispute step that pauses the 72-hour clock.

These steps would make MLFF the kind of resilient, inclusive infrastructure that SDG 9 calls for.