Delhi, March 6: To promote women’s empowerment and inclusivity in toll operations, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has deployed over 5,100 female staff during day shifts to manage toll booths at over 1,140 toll plazas across the National Highways and Expressway networks in the country.

The objective of exclusively deploying women staff in frontline operational roles is to significantly improve the National Highway user experience by fostering an efficient, empathetic, and user-friendly environment for National Highway commuters, as well as reduce the likelihood of disputes at the toll booths on National Highway fee plazas, said a Ministry of Road Transport & Highways communique.

The decision was taken after deliberations and discussions with various stakeholders, including fee plaza operators and key industry associations such as the National Highways Builder Federation (NHBF), Highway Operators Association of India (HOAI), and the All India User Fee Contractors Federation (AIUCF). All toll operators have unanimously agreed to deploy women staff during day shifts for user fee collection at toll plazas. Over 5,100 female toll staff have already been deployed, and more are expected to join in the near future.

NHAI will closely monitor the implementation of this initiative to ensure compliance. The initiative will help generate employment opportunities for women, especially in rural and semi-urban regions, while strengthening their participation in the National Highway infrastructure sector and generating employment in these remote areas.

As part of this initiative, NHAI will also facilitate specialised training for the deployed female staff, particularly those from rural areas. The training will focus on areas such as courteous behavior with National Highway users, handling emergency situations, basic safety protocols, and maintaining efficient toll plaza operations. This structured capacity-building effort will help enhance service quality while ensuring a safe and professional working environment.

By encouraging greater involvement of women in frontline operational roles, NHAI aims to promote gender inclusivity and social empowerment, alongside improving service delivery at National Highway toll plazas across the country.