THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, July 19: The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has implemented a new rule mandating the use of FASTag on the windscreen of vehicles.
If a four-wheeler does not have a FASTag affixed to its windscreen, double the toll tax will be charged. This step was taken in response to instances where people were avoiding toll tax by not using FASTag on their vehicles.
Move to reduce delays at Toll Plazas
NHAI has issued guidelines regarding this matter. According to the guidelines, not having FASTag affixed to the windscreen causes unnecessary delays at toll plazas, inconveniencing other vehicles in the queue.
In response, the authority has decided to charge double toll tax from drivers who do not have FASTag on their vehicle’s windscreen. Vehicle registration numbers (VRN) will be recorded through CCTV footage at toll plazas to help maintain proper records of toll collection and vehicle presence in toll lanes.
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NHAI has instructed banks and agencies issuing FASTag to ensure that drivers affix the FASTag on their windscreens. As per standard procedure, a vehicle without an affixed FASTag is not entitled to electronic toll collection (ETC) transactions.
What is FASTag?
FASTag is an electronic toll collection technology that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). It is a prepaid tag that needs to be affixed to the inside of a vehicle’s windscreen.
As the vehicle approaches a toll plaza, the sensor at the plaza tracks the FASTag and automatically deducts the toll charges from the FASTag account. This allows for toll payments without stopping at the toll plaza.
When the balance in the FASTag account runs out, it needs to be recharged.
FASTag can be purchased from almost all major government and private banks (SBI, ICICI, HDFC, AXIS Bank), as well as from Amazon, Paytm, or large petrol pumps. Additionally, NHAI has set up free FASTag acquisition centres at all toll plazas.
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