The National Highway Authority of India has collected a total of Rs 20 crore from around 18 lakh defaulter vehicles who entered the FasTag lanes at toll plazas without mandatory tags.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways launched the FASTag toll collection programme in December 2019. It also announced that double the toll fee would be levied on motorists entering a FASTag lane without a tag after the deadline.
The NHAI said that double feel is being charged in a bid to compel people to switch to tags them faster, and to encourage faster usage of digital toll collection across the National Highway network across the country.
The FASTag system uses Radio Frequency Identification sticker on the vehicle’s windscreen to collect toll payments without the need for the vehicle to stop, ensuring hassle free passage of commuters and reducing time spent at toll collection plazas.
The NHAI says that over 1.55 crore FASTags have been issued already through multiple point of sale locations such as banks, Regional Transport Offices, and at the toll plazas themselves.
The FASTags are meant for a collection of nearly Rs 40 lakh a day, and the NHAI feels that general public are gradually accepting the digital system for toll collection.
