VIJAYAWADA: come January 1, 2021, four-wheelers and M&N category vehicles plying without a FASTag cannot obtain a fitness certificate (FC) from the transport department. A notification in this regard was issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently and the same has been sent to the State government.Deputy Transport Commissioner (DTC) M Purendra told TNIE that as per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, FASTag has been made mandatory for the registration of new four-wheelers since December 1, 2017. It has further been mandated that the renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the installation of FASTag for transport vehicles. For national permit vehicles, FASTag has been mandated since October 1, 2019.
In all, the State has 42 toll plazas, where 75 per cent of the lanes are meant exclusively for FASTag users and 25 per cent for cash transactions. As per the notification, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has also made FASTags mandatory for vehicle insurance. New third-party vehicle insurance from April 1, 2021 will be issued only if the vehicle has a valid FASTag, he informed.
“So far, we haven’t received any communication from the State government, but the department will follow the directions of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways strictly. Enforcement drives will be conducted across the State and action will be initiated against those failing to follow the directions,” he added.
Official sources said that the National Electronic Toll Collection (FASTag) programme, the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways and NHAI has been implemented on pan-India basis to remove bottlenecks on toll plazas and ensure seamless movement of traffic and collection of user fee as per the notified rates, using RFID technology.