VISAKHAPATNAM/VIJAYAWADA: Transition to electronic toll collection system FASTag has been smooth across the state with no major complaints. FASTag was made mandatory for all vehicles from Monday midnight.According to National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials in Visakhapatnam, the compliance, which was 80 per cent before the implementation of the order, has shot up to 88-94 per cent. The three north coastal districts have seven toll plazas.
Those who did not avail FASTag are being levied double the amount. As many as 4,000 to 5,000 vehicle users paid the double penalty at the seven toll plazas, and 1,500 to 2,000 FASTag stickers were sold. There were no law and order issues at any of the toll plaza, and police support was not required, the officials said. Nodal officers and marshals at the plazas ensured smooth flow of vehicles as per the instructions of NHAI project director P Shiva Sankar and regional officer NHAI-Vijayawada RK Singh. “We thought some issues may arise. However, the shift has been smooth,” they said.
FASTag will be sold at the toll plazas and online till 100 per cent compliance is reached, sources said. “In view of the low demand, the stickers are not being sold at petrol bunks as most of the buyers make the purchase online from PAYTm, ICICI, IDBI and SBI platforms,” they added.
Meanwhile, NHAI Vijayawada project director Devireddy Narayana Reddy told TNIE that FASTtag is now mandatory at all the lanes of four toll plazas in Krishna district. Instructions were given to the staff to collect double the toll fee from vehicles without FASTag.
Reddy added that 90 per cent of the vehicle users in the district have bought the FASTag stickers. Some problems may arise when vehicles from other states reach the Keesara and Chillakallu toll plazas, he added. “So far, we have not received any complaint. Display boards saying that there are no cash lanes anymore have been put up at the toll plazas.”
‘No law and order issues at toll plazas’
There were no law and order issues at any of the toll plazas, and police support was not required, officials of NHAI-Vizag said. FASTag will be sold at toll plazas and online till 100 per cent compliance is reached