The Centre has mandated all toll plaza lanes to take only digital payment in the form of FAStag and radio-frequency identification (RFID) from 1 December 2019 to ensure a “no-cash’ scenario at toll plazas. The government has also asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure strict implementation of imposing penalty on non-FASTag users passing through FASTag lanes.
As per the national highway fee (determination and rates collection) rules, 2018 there is a provision that users of vehicles not fitted with a FASTag entering into a FASTag lane at toll plazas shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the applicable fee.
The RFID-based FASTag is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle. It is a device that facilitates near non-stop movement of vehicles through toll plazas by employing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to make toll payments directly from prepaid accounts linked to it.
In a letter written to NHAI on Friday, the ministry of road transport and highways said the decision has been taken in order to promote faster payment of toll through the digital mode so that vehicles can move through seamlessly, and traffic jams at the toll plazas can be prevented.
“It has been noticed that the increase in users making payment of the toll in the fee plazas of national highways through the mechanism of FASTag is not increasing in the manner desired. This further leads to payment by cash and further increase the jams at the toll fee plazas,” the ministry wrote.
The ministry said that this was leading to crowding of the FASTag lanes, and overall traffic congestion at the plaza, defeating the very purpose of the FASTags. The government also noted that electronic toll collection through FASTags had consequently not grown at a slower pace than projected.
One hybrid lane will however be allowed at every toll plaza to facilitate and monitor over dimensional or oversized vehicles, where FASTag and other modes of payment will be accepted. This lane will also be converted into FASTag lane in a time-bound manner, the government said.
The transport ministry asked NHAI to ensure availability of FASTags across the country.
In September 2018, Hindustan Times had reported more than 3 million units of FASTags had been issued.
From about 3,133 FASTag units being sold in May 2016, the number went up to 178,266 in December 2016. Correspondingly, the fees collected rose from Rs 71 lakh in May 2016 to Rs 47.02 crore in December 2016, according to the year-end review issued by the ministry in December 2016.
Till December 2017, a total of 770,000 FASTag units were being used by road users. There was also a significant growth in user fees collected through FASTags, according to the ministry — from Rs 179.1 crore with 11.2% penetration in January 2017, to Rs 285.3 crore with 18.5% penetration in November 2017.
“Logistics and other implementation problems which may lead to law and order problems at fee plazas, maybe identified and resolved. The availability of FASTags across the country in the requisite number has to be clearly spelt out and made available for moving towards no cash scenario in the fee plazas,” the ministry wrote.
The Centre has also stated that the required civil and electronic infrastructure at all toll plazas is also to be provided before implementation date of 1 December 2019.
At present 22 issuing banks have been engaged for selling Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system. At present, it is operable at 457 national highways fee plazas.
The transport ministry had rolled out the electronic toll collection (ETC) program under the FASTag brand name in 2014.
The Centre had also mandated all vehicles sold after 1 December 2017 to be fitted with FASTag by the manufacturer of the vehicle or its authorized dealer.
First Published:
Jul 19, 2019 19:47 IST
Source: HindustanTimes