The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has moved to arm itself with stronger legal powers to issue digital challans and enforce recovery against toll tax evasion, as it pushed ahead with a shift to a fully barrier-free, technology-driven toll system across the city’s borders by October 2026.
The proposal to amend the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Toll Tax) Bye-Laws, 2007, was passed in the MCD House meeting on Thursday and aimed to align the legal framework with the upcoming Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system based on RFID and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology.
Officials said the existing legal provisions were designed for physical toll plazas and are no longer sufficient for an environment where vehicles will pass without stopping.
According to the officials, the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Toll Tax) Amendment Bye-Laws, 2026, seek to create a digital enforcement framework that allows the civic body to detect “wrongful passage”, issue automated challans, and pursue recovery through electronic notices and warrants.
Under the proposed system, commercial vehicles entering Delhi will be automatically identified through overhead gantries and tagged using RFID and ANPR systems. Instead of halting at toll booths, toll deduction will happen electronically as vehicles move through the network.
If the toll is not paid, the system will trigger an automated notice via SMS, email or a designated portal. Vehicle owners will be required to clear dues within a prescribed time window of 72 hours, failing which enforcement action can be initiated.
The amended rules also provide for stricter recovery mechanisms, including electronic warrants, interception of flagged vehicles, and powers to detain, clamp or impound non-compliant vehicles within Delhi limits. In persistent default cases, the civic body may also proceed with the auction of vehicles to recover dues, officials said.
Officials noted that a key element of the new bylaws is the creation of a structured digital enforcement architecture to replace physical verification at toll points, enabling real-time identification of violations and centralised monitoring of commercial traffic entering the capital.
The overhaul follows directions of the Supreme Court in January and March 2026, which mandated the deployment of MLFF systems integrated with RFID and ANPR across all 154 toll points in Delhi.
According to the new bye-laws, toll rates for commercial vehicles will be within a structured band, ranging from Rs 100 for light commercial vehicles such as taxis and tempos to Rs 2,000 for heavy multi-axle trucks. The framework also allows for an annual increase of up to five per cent with approval of the corporation.
The new amendments also underline that exemptions are limited strictly to emergency and essential service vehicles such as ambulances, fire services, police, defence and government vehicles with official markings.
The proposal will now be placed before the Delhi government before being notified in the Delhi Gazette, officials said.
Additionally, the House passed a revised budget of over Rs 131 crore for the construction of underground multi-level car parkings in three prime neighbourhoods and a proposal for the construction of seven additional classrooms, a hall and a toilet block at the MC Primary Model Girls School in Siraspur following the demolition of older structures, was also passed.
Officials said that a proposal to mitigate dust pollution, a comprehensive three-and-a-half-year operation and maintenance contract for 38 high-capacity water sprinklers deployed to curb air and dust pollution under the MCD’s jurisdiction, was also passed in the general meeting.
