Effective from Monday (15 February 2021) midnight, vehicles without a valid FASTag would be charged double the toll fee, as all lanes on toll plazas across national highways in the country turn into FASTag lanes.
A FASTag is a reloadable tag that allows an automatic deduction of toll charges. It is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and uses RFID (radio frequency identification) technology for making digital payments at the toll plazas.
FASTags, which facilitate electronic payment of fee at toll plazas, was introduced in 2016. Making the tags compulsory would also help in ensuring that vehicles pass seamlessly through the toll plazas, as the fee payment would be done electronically.
The ministry of road transport and highways had mandated fitment of FASTag in M and N categories of motor vehicles—meant for carrying passengers and goods respectively,with effect from January 1 onwards.
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had also on Sunday said the deadline for implementation of FASTag would not be extended further, and the vehicle owners should immediately adopt the e-payment facility. Replying to a query on FASTags, Gadkari said the government had extended the FASTag registration date limit two-three times before and now, it would not be extended further. Now, everybody should immediately buy FASTags, he added.
The central government extended the FASTag deadline for the vehicles from January 1, 2021, to February 15, 2021.
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