The government has extended the exemption on toll tax on all national highways until December 2 midnight, Nitin Gadkari, union minister for road transport, highways and shipping said on Thursday.
However, currency notes of Rs 500 would still be accepted as toll charge at national highways till December 15 even after the exemption is withdrawn, the Transport Ministry said.
Citizens will not be charged any toll tax till December 2 across all national highways. However, after the exemption is withdrawn, citizens can still pay the toll using demonetised Rs 500 notes till December 15.
The earlier deadline was November 24 but it has now been extended, since people are still affected due to demonetisation of old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.
This is the fourth time the deadline has been extended for toll tax since the announcement.
The deadline to use the old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 to pay for public utilities ends on November 24, according to guidelines given by the Centre a few days ago. From November 25 onwards, old notes will only be exchanged or deposited in banks until December 30.
The use of old notes for payment of medical supplies, railway reservations, air fares, payment of utility bills like water and electricity, milk, metro tickets, purchase of petrol or diesel, and at burial grounds will be discontinued from November 24 midnight.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a televised address on November 8, had announced that currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 would no longer be considered valid and that citizens should get them exchanged or deposited in banks at the earliest. Following the announcement, the government had said that the usage of old notes would be allowed at petrol pumps, Mother Dairy and other government milk booths, government hospitals, railway ticketing and crematoria and burial grounds for 72 hours.
The government later extended the deadline for another 72 hours and also allowed the old notes to be used for metro rail tickets, highway toll, medicine prescribed by a doctor, LPG gas cylinders, railway catering, electricity and water bills and entry tickets of ASI monuments.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday also asked banks to not accept demonetised notes for deposit in the small savings schemes with immediate effect. However, the demonetised notes could be used for deposits in post office savings accounts. "The deposits into Post Office Savings Account are excluded from the bar imposed therein (on deposits of demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in small saving schemes)," the ministry said.
