Old Statement Of Nitin Gadkari On Road Tolls Shared As Recent, With False Claim

Gadkari didn't say that people living within a 60km radius of a toll booth are exempt from paying tolls.

Fact-Check: This statement of Gadkari is from 2022.

(Source: The Quint)

A video showing a speech by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inside the parliament is being shared on social media platforms.

What did he say?: "Whoever has an Aadhaar card and if there is a toll there, then the pass should be issued immediately after looking at the Aadhaar card. I accept the suggestion, wherever such tolls have been made and where the local people face difficulty, passes will be made by taking the Aadhaar card."

He added, "The second thing is that there is no toll in the 60 kilometre stretch, but it is operational at some places. I assure the House today that this is wrong, it is illegal. I am telling you that within three months there will be only one toll naka within 60 km stretch and if there is another one, it will be closed."

The claim: Those sharing wrote, "No toll fee can be paid at any toll booth within 60 km from your home. For that, you have to get a pass through your Aadhaar card."

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: The claim is false. This speech is old from March 2022. In the speech, Gadkari discussed the distribution of passes to residents using Aadhaar cards and mentioned the presence of just one toll booth within a 60 km distance.

What we found: With a relevant keyword search, we found Gadkari's speech on Doordarshan's channel. We noticed that it was from 22 March 2022.

The screenshot shows the date stamp stating 22 March 2023.

(Source: DD/Screenshot) 

• We traced the part in the viral video in the YouTube video. 21:30 minute onwards, we can hear the part of the viral video.

• He mentions local residents can get toll passes through their Aadhaar cards. Following this, he talked about there being only one toll plaza every 60 km on national highways.

• These two points are mentioned as different entities in his speech. Nowhere in the speech has Gadkari said what was being claimed.

• News reports by the Hindustan Times and the Times of India from 23 March 2022 also mention this.

Gadkari told the parliament that he would ensure that there are no toll plazas within 60 km on highways.

(Source: HT/Screenshot) 

• Additionally, we checked the website of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to check for toll exemptions.

• As per the Exemptions and Discounts mentioned in the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules of 2008, residents who live within a 20 km radius of the toll plaza are granted toll tax exemption. To qualify, individuals must provide required paperwork, which, once verified, grants the waiver to the person.

Here's what is written in the 2008 Rules.

(Source: Ministry of Road Transport/Screenshot) 

• This claim comes at a time when Gadkari, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, announced that the ministry will implement a toll collection system using a global navigation satellite system technology on certain highways to enhance effectiveness.

• The initiation of trial studies would take place in Karnataka and Haryana, reported the Times of India.

Conclusion: An old statement of Gadkari is being shared with a misleading claim.

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