The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has started Tamil Nadu's first barrier-free toll system at the Paranur toll plaza on the Tambaram-Tindivanam section of NH-179B, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said on October 1, 2026. Under the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system, vehicles do not have to stop at the plaza to pay.
The Paranur plaza lies on the busy southern route out of Chennai towards Chengalpattu and Tindivanam, used daily by commuters and by traffic heading to the southern districts.
How MLFF tolling works
In a regular toll plaza, a vehicle slows down at a boom barrier until its FASTag is read. MLFF removes the barrier. According to the ministry:
- Cameras with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) read the vehicle's number plate.
- FASTag readers collect the toll electronically at the same time.
- Vehicles can pass through in any lane at normal speed, without stopping.
The ministry said the system cuts congestion and travel time, saves fuel, lowers vehicle emissions, needs less human involvement in toll collection and makes toll operations more transparent and cheaper to run.
What it means for drivers on this road
- Keep your FASTag working and topped up. The ministry has asked highway users to keep a functional FASTag with enough balance. If the toll cannot be collected, the vehicle owner may receive an Electronic Notice (E-Notice).
- Number plates matter. Because the system also reads plates, a clean, readable registration plate helps the toll get matched to the right vehicle.
- No change in how you pay. There is no new card or app to buy. The same FASTag used at other plazas is charged.
Private car owners who use national highways often can also look at the FASTag Annual Pass, which has crossed one crore users. It is valid on NHAI fee plazas for one year or 200 crossings.
Where else MLFF is running
NHAI is rolling out MLFF in phases across the country. Before Paranur, the ministry said the system was already working at:
| Toll plaza | Highway | State |
|---|---|---|
| Chorayasi | Surat-Bharuch section, NH-48 | Gujarat |
| Mundka-Bakkarwala | Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) | Delhi-NCR |
| Shahjahanpur, Daulatpura and Manoharpura | Delhi-Jaipur section, NH-48 | Rajasthan |
| Gharaunda | Panipat-Jalandhar section, NH-44 | Haryana |
Paranur is the first such plaza in Tamil Nadu and in South India among the locations the ministry has listed.
What happens next
The ministry has said MLFF will be extended to more national highways in a phased manner but did not name the next plazas in Tamil Nadu. Drivers using the Tambaram-Tindivanam stretch should make sure their FASTag is active and has enough balance before they travel, to avoid an E-Notice.
