FASTag mandatory from today; double toll fee for those without it
The NHAI has issued directions to concessionaires and toll plaza operators that motorists without a FASTag must be directed to purchase one on the spot.
The FASTag service to digitally pay the toll tax on national highways is now live across the country. The vehicles trying to cross the toll plazas without it will now have to pay double fee as hybrid lanes have been discontinued.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said made FASTags mandatory from February 15 midnight.
Also Read: All you need to know about FASTags
"As per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag entering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category," the ministry had said in a notification.
This has been done to further promote fee payment through digital mode, reduce waiting time and fuel consumption, and provide for a seamless passage through the fee plazas.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued directions to concessionaires and toll plaza operators that motorists without a FASTag must be directed to purchase one on the spot, activate it and then enter the toll plaza.
The authorities have deployed additional personnel at toll plazas to guide motorists to FASTag sale point, set up at the spot, in case they don’t have one. On Monday, a large queue of commuters was witnessed at the FASTag counter at the Kheri Daula toll plaza near Gurugram in Haryana ahead of the end of the deadline.
The ministry of road transport and highways had mandated FASTag for M&N categories of motor vehicles with effect from January 1 this year; it was extended to February 15 later.
Category ‘M’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers and category ‘N’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying goods, which may also carry persons in addition to goods.
FASTag is a sticker attached to the windshield of your vehicle. It has a radio-frequency identification barcode that is linked to registration details of the vehicle. It is valid for five years.
On passing a toll plaza, FASTag readers installed there will automatically deduct the required toll.
