The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has rolled out an innovative cleanliness initiative, promising FASTag users a ₹1,000 credit for reporting unhygienic toilets at toll plazas—if the report is verified and submitted first via the official app. The scheme, part of ‘Special Campaign 5.0’, runs until 31 October 2025 and covers only toilets under NHAI’s jurisdiction.
Under this “Clean Toilet Picture Challenge,” highway users must capture clear photos of dirty or poorly maintained restrooms, with geo-tags and time stamps, through the RajmargYatra app. The submission must include the user’s name, mobile number, and Vehicle Registration Number (VRN). Once validated—via AI-assisted screening and, if necessary, manual checks—the reward is credited to the FASTag linked to the submitted VRN. Only one reward is permitted per VRN for the entire campaign, and each toilet facility is eligible for the reward once per day—so only the first valid report of that facility on a day will be rewarded. Reports of toilets not maintained by NHAI, such as those at dhabas, private restaurants or fuel stations, are excluded. Altered or duplicate photos will not be accepted.
The move is framed as a proactive step to heighten civic participation in sanitation oversight. The NHAI says that travellers are well-placed to flag lapses, thus supplementing institutional upkeep efforts. The authority’s broader campaign also includes pothole removal, signage upgrades, beautification of flyovers, and improved public messaging along highways. Experts note that incentivising commuters may help reduce neglect of facilities, especially in remote stretches where maintenance can lag. However, they caution that a one-time reward may not replace sustained accountability. “Unless regular audits, monitoring and maintenance contracts are reinforced, the scheme risks being a publicity gesture,” commented a sanitation policy researcher.
Implementation challenges include verifying authenticity, preventing collusion, and ensuring that rewards reach genuine reporters without delays. The AI screening system may deter manipulations, but a backlog in manual validation could reduce the scheme’s appeal. Observers suggest that public dashboards showing rewarded reports and pending actions could boost transparency and trust. For travellers, the scheme presents a tangible reason to engage actively in maintaining their journey’s hygiene standards. For NHAI, it offers an experiment in blended governance—combining technology, user participation and incentives to amplify oversight. Whether it will yield durable improvement in toll plaza cleanliness remains to be seen, but for now, it offers a novel intersection of policy and citizen action.
Also Read : BMC Expands Private Partnerships To Manage Coastal Road Development And Major Civic Facilities
