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- Published: April 20, 2020 12:40
New Delhi: Toll collection on national highways across the country has resumed on Monday amid the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. This comes as India is slowly easing restrictions brought in to contain the coronavirus pandemic from today in order to revive stalled economic activities.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had suspended toll collection on all national highways after the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24. Toll plazas in Mumbai’s Vashi, Nagpur’s Borkhedi, Gurugram, Chennai’s Porur and in Daffi in Varanasi. The employees were also seen wearing gloves and face masks
“We are operating only 2 lanes (cash and tag lane). The toll booth operators are using masks and sanitisers,” said Deputy Toll Plaza Manager at Daffi Toll Plaza on National Highway 2 in Varanasi.
India is under a nation-wide lockdown with was imposed on March 25 and later extended on April 14 to stem the spread of coronavirus which has claimed over 500 lives in the country.
In his address on April 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3 and also said that restriction will be relaxed in places where there is no hotspot after April 20 soon.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on April 15 released new lockdown-guidelines for the country listing select economic activities that will be allowed to function after April 20 only after the review of the COVID-19 situation in India.
Notably, the MHA had said that the revised guidelines will not apply in containment zones, as demarcated by the states. (ANI)