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Delhi civic body to integrate its RFID toll collection system with FASTag

Delhi has 124 border entry points where toll tax is levied, and the toll, along with an environment compensation cess (ECC) is collected using the RFID system at 13 major points used by 80-85% of all commercial vehicles entering the city.

Published on: Feb 3, 2023, 24:06:28 IST
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The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to integrate its radio-frequency identification (RFID) toll collection system with the national FASTag system, officials aware of the development said on Thursday, adding that a pilot project for the new setups will be undertaken at Kundli border at east Delhi.

A pilot project for the new setups will be undertaken at Kundli border at east Delhi. (HT Archive)
A pilot project for the new setups will be undertaken at Kundli border at east Delhi. (HT Archive)

A senior municipal official associated with the integration project said at present, users from other states are forced to buy two separate RFID tags -- one FASTag for all toll transactions on highways by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and one for the MCD toll collection. “If the integration is successful, there will not be a need to buy two separate tags and the amount can be deducted from the same tag. A new software is being developed to connect the two system under a 50 lakh project,” the official said.

Delhi has 124 border entry points where toll tax is levied, and the toll, along with an environment compensation cess (ECC) is collected using the RFID system at 13 major points used by 80-85% of all commercial vehicles entering the city. While the toll tax is utilised by the civic body, the Supreme Court-mandated ECC is transferred to the Delhi government.

A second official said the integration project will face several challenges. “NHAI charges the same amount for empty and full trucks, but the MCD system differentiates between the two. Similarly, the ECC for small empty commercial vehicles is 700 and a vehicle filled with goods is charged 1400. For bigger empty commercial vehicles like trucks, the ECC is 1300 while for filled trucks it is 2600. We also don’t charge ECC on trucks carrying essential goods,” the official said.

  • Paras Singh
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Paras Singh

    Paras Singh is a New Delhi-based journalist with Hindustan Times, where he serves as Deputy Metro Editor. He reports on urban governance, the Delhi government, the Delhi BJP, water management, the environment, communities and city life. He joined Hindustan Times in 2021 after beginning his journalism career at The Times of India in 2016, where he covered civic bodies, the water and power sectors, and urban infrastructure. Over the last decade, some of his reporting has led to significant public impact, with investigations into environmental violations, corruption and illegal industrial activity contributing to multiple judicial interventions by the National Green Tribunal and the Delhi High Court. A graduate of St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, Paras studied journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi. Having extensively covered the capital's evolving civic and governance landscape, his recent work increasingly explores Delhi's history, built heritage, urban evolution and the relationship between people and place, alongside continuing to report on governance and public policy.Read More