Tankers carrying oxygen exempted from paying toll fee on national highways

Such containers will be treated at par with other emergency vehicles for now

Tankers and containers ferrying liquid medical oxygen have been exempted from user fee at toll plazas across national highways for the next two months, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced on Saturday.

“In order to provide uninterrupted passage for tankers and containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across national highways, the user fee for such vehicles at toll plazas has been exempted,” NHAI said.

It said that containers carrying LMO will be treated at par with other emergency vehicles such as ambulances for a period of two months or till further orders.

Read more: Supreme Court orders audit of oxygen supplies to states

Although toll plazas have nearly zero waiting time after implementation of FASTag, NHAI said it is already providing priority passage to such vehicles for quick and seamless transportation of medical oxygen.

“Instructions have also been issued by NHAI to all its officials and other stakeholders to assist the government and private efforts to fight the pandemic in helping them in a pro-active manner,” it said.

The NHAI said during the ongoing crisis, the timely delivery of LMO to hospitals and medical centres is of paramount importance to save the lives of patients critically affected by Covid-19.

It said the exemption of payment of user fee at toll plazas will ensure faster movement of medical oxygen on the national highways.