No airport in India has a toll road before it. Why this discrimination against Bengaluru? asks Mohandas Pai

Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai

Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai criticised the toll collection at the Devanahalli toll plaza, located near Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), which amassed Rs 308 crore in revenue during 2023-24.

"No airport in India has a toll road before it. Why this discrimination against Bengaluru? Toll should be for the Bellary Road after the airport," Pai remarked in a post on X, tagging Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

"Very high charges, and the only toll road to an airport, this needs to be abolished," he added.

Also, read: Bengaluru airport is now connected to 100 non-stop passenger destinations

In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Gadkari revealed that the Devanahalli toll plaza near Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) collected Rs 308 crore during 2023-24.

The Devanahalli toll plaza collected Rs 1,577 crore in the last 10 years, making it the highest toll-collecting plaza in Karnataka. The pace of toll collection has increased exponentially, from Rs over 83 crore in 2021-22 and over Rs 108 in 2022-23.

Moreover, a distant second and third place, respectively, is occupied by Karjeevanhally toll plaza at Rs 230 crore, and Guilalu toll plaza at Rs 173 crore.

NH 44 serves as the primary route connecting Bengaluru to KIA, the third-busiest airport in India. NH 44 is also a major corridor for vehicles travelling between Karnataka and neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Also, read: Bengaluru becomes India’s third busiest airport by international traffic, surpasses Chennai and Kochi in October