BENGALURU: Starting December 1, payments at all the 32 toll plazas on state highways besides those on national highways in the state will become cashless. Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Monday signed an MoU to bring in RFID-based FASTag to implement electronic toll collection mandatorily from December 1.
The FASTag stickers are usually stuck on a vehicle’s windshields to enable commuters move quickly through toll gates without halting. The technology, since its pilot testing in 2014, has long been pegged by the government as a solution to decongest toll plazas by making payments seamless and also to reduce cash transactions at these centres.
“50 per cent of the cost will be taken up by the Ministry and the rest by the state. The ministry will also bear 80 per cent of the maintenance cost. Citizens can recharge the number against FASTag via online, UPI (Unified Payment Interface) and cash wallets,” B S Shivakumar, managing director, KRDCL, told The New Indian Express.
“The (installation) cost per lane is kept at Rs 12 lakh but this will have to be discussed with the vendor working with the Ministry,” he said. In April 2020, GST will also be integrated with FASTag and commercial vehicles will be included as well.
Amrit Singha, vice president of Indian Highways Management Company Ltd, the company working with the ministry, told TNIE, “Citizens will be able to use the tags across India. The tender has been floated for installation of ETC and it is around Rs 40 lakh for a two-lane road. The cost will increase based on the number of lanes.”The state will also have point-of-sale shops that will sell the FASTag. Citizens will also be able to purchase the tags at banks and at online shopping sites for Rs 100, which will be inclusive of tax.