Concessional Local Pass for NH Users Living Within 20 Km

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has created a new Concessional Local Pass for people who live close to a national highway fee plaza and cross it every day. The pass is meant for owners of non-commercial vehicles whose homes fall within a 20 km range of the plaza, and the rule takes effect from 1 November 2026.

What the pass costs

The price depends on where the plaza stands. A plaza lying outside a municipal or local town area carries an annual charge of Rs 1,500. A plaza falling inside such limits carries Rs 3,000 a year. The Central Government may revise these rates once a year, and a revision will apply from 1 April.

Who can take it and how

An eligible owner needs a valid and working FASTag. Such an owner may now choose between the monthly pass that already exists and the new yearly pass for a particular plaza. The choice is tied to that one plaza: the pass cannot be carried over to any other fee plaza on the network. The pass will be sold at eligible toll plazas from 1 November 2026, and will also be available on the Rajmargyatra mobile application from 1 December 2026.

Where it will not apply

• Stretches of national highways and expressways where the user fee is gathered through a closed collection system are left out.
• The pass will not be issued at a plaza where a service road or another route is open to commuters.

The legal route

The change has been notified as the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) (Fifth Amendment) Rules, 2026, framed under powers given by the National Highways Act, 1956. More than 13 crore FASTags have been issued in the country so far, and the government expects the new option to lower the travel bill of households settled beside a toll plaza while improving ease of living and ease of commuting for them.