NHAI awards ₹91.78 crore Baiti Kala toll contract in UP

By Tushita · 27 Oct, 2026

On 26 Oct 2026, Highway Infrastructure won a one-year NHAI mandate to collect fees at Uttar Pradesh's Baiti Kala plaza for ₹91.78 crore; no new toll rate was announced for drivers.

NHAI awards ₹91.78 crore Baiti Kala toll contract in UP

Highway Infrastructure Ltd received a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on 26 Oct 2026 to operate and collect user fees at the Baiti Kala Fee Plaza in Uttar Pradesh, according to its BSE corporate filing. The one-year mandate is valued at ₹91.78 crore and includes upkeep of adjacent toilet blocks; for drivers, the important point is that the award is an operating contract, not an announced increase in the toll charged per vehicle.

Key takeaways

The LOA covers user-fee collection at Baiti Kala Fee Plaza for one year.
The reported value is ₹91.78 crore, or ₹91,77,77,777, for the mandate.
The plaza is on the four-lane Sultanpur–Varanasi section of NH-56, now designated NH-731.
The scope includes adjacent toilet-block upkeep and replenishment of consumables.
The current filing does not announce a revised toll rate or a new charge for motorists.

What NHAI has awarded

The award gives Highway Infrastructure responsibility for operating the fee plaza and collecting the user fee from vehicles using the specified highway section. StockWatch, in a separate report dated 26 Oct 2026, also described the LOA as a one-year ₹91.78-crore NHAI contract and reported the toilet-maintenance obligation.

The ₹91.78 crore figure should not be read as the amount that drivers will collectively pay because of this announcement. It is the value attached to the user-fee collection mandate. A vehicle owner continues to pay the applicable fee for the vehicle class and crossing; the operator's contract value and the road user's toll are different numbers.

Which road section is covered

NHAI's Baiti Kala RFP identifies the plaza at design kilometre 175.050 on the four-lane Sultanpur–Varanasi section. The document describes the covered design stretch as kilometre 134.700 to kilometre 209.230, with the existing kilometre references running from 134.700 to 205.000, on National Highway 56, now called New NH-731.

That location matters for private-car users, bus operators and freight vehicles moving through eastern Uttar Pradesh. The contract is tied to collection at the named fee plaza; it does not announce a new toll point on other parts of NH-56 or NH-731.

What changes for toll users now

NHAI's RFP separates the fee-collection agency's obligations from the user-fee schedule. It says the applicable rates for different vehicle categories are set out in the contract schedule, and that collection is restricted to the specified plaza. The 26 Oct 2026 filing reviewed for this report contains no separate tariff revision, so there is no sourced basis to describe this LOA as a toll hike.

Drivers planning a journey through the corridor can first estimate the route's toll bill using the toll-charge calculator. The calculation should be treated as a planning figure until the vehicle class, route and applicable rate card are confirmed for the actual trip.

For a longer journey, toll is only one part of the budget. Combining the toll estimate with fuel use and stops in the road-trip planner can give a more realistic view of time and travel cost without assuming that the new operator changes the tariff.

The facility-upkeep obligation

The Baiti Kala mandate covers more than the toll barrier. The stated scope includes upkeep and maintenance of the adjacent toilet blocks, including the replenishment of consumable items. NHAI's RFP also says the plaza and toilet blocks are handed over in their existing condition and that the selected agency must provide or upgrade facilities needed to discharge its duties.

That creates a contractual responsibility, but it is not proof that every facility has already been upgraded or that service quality will improve immediately. For people who drive long distances, the practical test will be whether toilets remain usable, basic supplies are available and the fee plaza continues to operate without avoidable delays. Those outcomes will depend on execution and monitoring after the takeover.

What to watch next

Handover and start date: the current public filing confirms the LOA but does not give a precise date for the operator to begin collection.
Any separate rate notice: a toll change would need to be communicated through the applicable NHAI user-fee process; it should not be inferred from the contract amount.
On-road service: drivers can watch for the condition of the plaza, toilet blocks and lane equipment once the mandate is operational.

If a FASTag transaction fails or a toll dispute occurs, keep the transaction details and use the established complaint route rather than treating the operator award as a reason to pay an unverified amount. FuelPrice's guide to FASTag toll rules and complaints explains the checks that are useful when a crossing is disputed.

Reader takeaway

For motorists using the Sultanpur–Varanasi corridor, the immediate news is a change in the agency responsible for fee collection and nearby toilet upkeep. The ₹91.78-crore LOA is not a new amount to add to a car's next toll receipt, and no new rate was announced with the award. Check the applicable toll for the vehicle and route, keep the FASTag balance and transaction record in order, and look for a separate official rate notification if NHAI changes the user-fee schedule.