Delay in land acquisition has been identified as one of the factors which slow the pace of highways construction in India. As per the Model Concession Agreement of the Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) projects, NHAI is required to handover 80% of the land on the date of financial closure of these projects. That precisely means that NHAI will have to acquire the land in a time bound manner so that commencement of work is not delayed.Land acquisition is an essential component of a BOT highway project. If it goes under schedule, everything is right but if it doesn't the concessionaires are losing money. Tolls are being received later and the project viability is being questioned.The Special Land Acquisition Units would carry out the following functions: i) Preparation of notification under section 3A (Intention to acquire land)ii) Preparation of notification under section 3D (1)iii) Preparation of awardiv Disbursement of compensation to land ownersv) Dispute maters relating to Arbitration cases be referred to Arbitrator, mutation of land acquired under the Act.The state-wise number of SLAUs is as follows: Rajasthan (10); Bihar (13); U.P (25); Gujarat (07);Orissa (11); West Bengal(13); Tamil Nadu (26); Jharkhand ()4); Maharashtra (11); Punjab (05); Haryana (04); Himachal Pradesh (02); Assam (05); Meghalaya (01); Manipur (01); Mizoram (01); Nagaland (02); Tripura (01); Madhya Pradesh (04); Chhatisgarh (01); J & K(0); Uttrakhand (03); Goa (04); Karnataka (05); Andhra Pradesh (7);' Kerala (25); Delhi (0).TOLL SYSTEMSNHAI has, as a pilot project, asked three concessionaires to install three different technologies for use of these tags by October 31. All the three systems will be tested for six months and the one that emerges the best will be installed at all plazas after that.The three electronic tolling systems are active, passive and infrared. The active tolling system, in which the tag sends as well as receives signals, is being tested at the Gurgaon-Jaipur highway; the passive system, where the tag only sends signals, at the Panipat-Jalandhar highway; and the infrared system (it sends and receives signals on optical fibre) at the Surat-Dahisar highway.On this video below, we can see one of the toll plazas at the Delhi-Gurgaon highway, 10 minutes is a normal waiting time:It is obvious that tags and electronic tolls are needed. "After the test, we plan to make at least one lane at every toll plaza across India electronic and we will keep on increasing it with time, depending on the necessity," added an official.This tag lanes will be good for sure. Free flow tolls should be installed at urban highways. State-of-the-art technology should always be taking into account.