NEW DELHI: To ensure smooth traffic flow and mitigate currency hardships, the government has further extended the date for toll exemption on National Highways till mid-night of December 2.

The government also said the scrapped Rs 500 notes will be accepted at toll plazas on National Highways from December 2 mid-night to December 15.

“For smooth traffic movement across all National Highways, toll collection has now been suspended till mid-night of December 2,” a road ministry official said. Sufficient swipe machines will be installed at toll plazas with help from SBI and other banks in order to make help commuters make payments and facilitate easy flow of traffic, the official said. The government had earlier announced its decision to keep the toll collection in abeyance till November 11 mid-night, which was later extended to November 14, then November 18 and later to November 24. The decision has been taken to ensure smooth traffic flow across all National Highways and provide relief to the cash-starved people lining up outside banks and ATMs after Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were demonetised. Instructions have been issued to all concessionaires, including BOT (build-operate-transfer), OMT (operate-maintain-transfer) operators and other fee collection agencies, about the extension of the toll suspension date. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to tackle corruption and black money, the government had on November 9 said no toll fee would be collected on National Highways till November 11 mid-night. The government’s earlier decision to accept the withdrawn notes at the toll plazas led to chaos in the absence of adequate change, causing massive traffic snarls.—PTI