NEW DELHI: If you haven’t fixed the FASTag sticker on the windscreen of your vehicle, you will have to shell out double the toll charges, and the defaulter may also be blacklisted, according to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) guidelines.
The ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) on Thursday said a detailed standard operating procedures (SOP) had been issued to all user fee collection agencies and concessionaires to charge double user fee in case FASTag is not affixed on the front windshield.
The information will also be prominently displayed at all toll plazas, informing highway users about the penalties for non-compliance of entering a toll lane without a fixed FASTag on the front windshield, said ministry officials.
“CCTV footage with vehicle registration number at the fee plaza shall be recorded in non-affixed FASTag cases. This will help in maintaining a proper record of the fee charged and presence of the vehicle in the toll lane,” said the ministry.
“Any FASTag that is not affixed on the assigned vehicle as per standard process is not entitled to carry out electronic toll collection transaction at an user fee plaza and will have to pay double toll fee as well as can be duly blacklisted. Issuer banks have also been directed to ensure fixation of the FASTag to the assigned vehicle on front windshield at the time of issuance from various Points-of-Sale,” it said.
The NHAI is entrusted with maintenance and management of national highways of about 70,000 km of the total network of 1,50,000 km. Additionally, NHAI is mandated to collect user fees on these highways in accordance with the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. At present, User fee is collected for approximately 45,000 km of national highways and expressways. There are about 1,200 toll plazas that are maintained by either the NHAI or concessionaires.
Since February 2021, FASTag has been made mandatory for the payment of user fees at NH toll plazas. As of March 2024, more than 98 per cent of user fee payments are made through FASTag at the toll plazas.
“This initiative of double fee will help to make toll operations more efficient and ensure seamless and comfortable journey for the national highway users,” said an official.