· FASTag · Tolls · National highways
Barrier-Free Tolls Are Spreading: Where MLFF Is Live and How E-Notices Work
Written and checked bySignalPe Desk· Editorial Desk
Key points
- MLFF is live at seven NHAI plazas named in official releases as of 1 October 2026, the latest being Paranur on NH-179B — Tamil Nadu’s first.
- Overhead gantries read your FASTag; ANPR cameras read your number plate. You do not stop.
- If the toll does not go through, you get an e-notice. Pay the normal toll within 72 hours, or twice the toll after that.
- Unpaid beyond 15 days with no pending representation, the dues are recorded on VAHAN and can block vehicle services.
- Since 10 April 2026 national-highway plazas take only FASTag or UPI, except in the five states and UTs then under election code of conduct.
Where MLFF is live
Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling removes the barrier from the toll plaza. The National Highways Authority of India has been switching plazas over one at a time since May 2026. Its release of 1 October 2026 lists the plazas where the system is running.
| Plaza | Highway and section | State | MLFF from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chorayasi | NH-48, Surat–Bharuch | Gujarat | 1 May 2026 — India’s first |
| Mundka–Bakkarwala | Urban Extension Road-II | Delhi | 11 May 2026 |
| Daulatpura | NH-48, Delhi–Jaipur | Rajasthan | 19 June 2026 |
| Gharaunda | NH-44, Panipat–Jalandhar | Haryana | Announced 25 June 2026 |
| Manoharpura | NH-48, Delhi–Jaipur | Rajasthan | Announced 1 July 2026 |
| Shahjahanpur | NH-48, Delhi–Jaipur | Rajasthan | 1 August 2026 |
| Paranur | NH-179B, Tambaram–Tindivanam | Tamil Nadu | 1 October 2026 — Tamil Nadu’s first |
How a barrier-free plaza charges you
Sensors and cameras on overhead gantries identify each vehicle as it passes at highway speed. High-performance readers pick up the FASTag on the windscreen, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras read the registration plate. The toll is deducted from the FASTag. NHAI says the gantries give a vertical clearance of about 5.5 to 6.0 metres.
Because nothing physically stops a vehicle, enforcement happens around the plaza. NHAI bars parking, encroachment and unauthorised stopping within 200 metres on either side of an MLFF tolling zone, and route patrol vehicles watch for wrong-side driving, number-plate tampering and toll evasion.
If the toll does not go through: the e-notice
A toll can fail for ordinary reasons: low balance, a blacklisted or inactive tag, or a damaged tag. In that case the system issues an Electronic Notice (e-notice) to the registered owner. The legal basis is the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026, in force from 17 March 2026.
- The e-notice states the vehicle, the date and place of passage, and the amount. It can arrive by SMS, email or app, and is also posted on the portal nhfeenotice.parivahan.gov.in.
- Pay within 72 hours of the notice and you owe only the normal toll.
- After 72 hours, the amount due is twice the applicable toll.
- If you think the notice is wrong, file a representation on the portal within 72 hours. It must be decided within five days, or the claim lapses.
- If the dues stay unpaid beyond 15 days and no representation is pending, they are recorded on VAHAN, and restrictions can be placed on vehicle-related services until you pay.
Cash is gone from most national-highway plazas
Separately from MLFF, MoRTH announced that from 10 April 2026 all user-fee payments at national-highway fee plazas are processed only through FASTag or UPI. At the time, the change was not implemented in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry, where the election Model Code of Conduct was in force. We have not found an official notice confirming when those five moved over, so we do not state it.
What to do as a driver
Keep your FASTag active and topped up, and make sure it is linked to the right registration number — an MLFF plaza has no booth to fix a problem at. If you drive one of these corridors regularly, check nhfeenotice.parivahan.gov.in or the Rajmargyatra app after a trip; paying within 72 hours keeps the charge at the normal toll.