Chennai: With the mandatory FasTag regime coming into effect from midnight, motorists who don’t have it are being made to pay double the fee, resulting in quarrels in some toll plazas, including the one at Vanagaram in Chennai.
The National Electronic Toll Collection FASTag, which works with electronic payment systems developed by the National Payments Corporation of India, is a sticker that can be attached to the windshield of your car.
The RFID-enabled barcode linked with registration details of your vehicle allows toll amounts to be deducted digitally from your prepaid balance, thereby allowing cars to pass seamlessly without interacting with people at the toll plaza.
The government has amended the Motor Vehicle Rules making it mandatory for all vehicles (four-wheelers and above) to fix FASTag from 1 January and from April, it is mandatory for renewing your vehicle insurance policy.
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that the deadline for implementation of FASTag will not be extended and vehicle owners should immediately buy the e-payment facility.
“It has been decided that all lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways shall be declared as FASTag lane with effect from the midnight of February 15/16,” a statement issued by the Transport Ministry has said.