CHENNAI: To ensure smooth passage of vehicles on the national highways and promote cashless transaction, the Ministry of Road Highways and Transport has ordered that Fastag-enabled vehicles be allowed to pass toll gates on the NH roads if an electronic toll plaza goes nonfunctional.
The Union government has amended the rules of the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) 2008, effecting the change and issued directions to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). “If a vehicle, with a valid functional Fastag or any such device with the sufficient balance in the linked account, crossing the toll plaza installed with electronic toll collection infrastructure, is not able to pay user fee through Fastag or any such device owing to malfunctioning of electronic toll collection infrastructure, the vehicle user shall be permitted to pass the toll gate without payment of user fee,” said the order.
The order has also directed the NHAI that such vehicles should be issued appropriate zero transaction receipt mandatorily. In 2014, with an objective of simplifying the toll plaza payment, the NHAI rolled out the Fastag device that employs radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the pre-loaded funds linked to it.
The device affixed on the wind screen of the vehicles enables the motorists to drive through toll plazas in less than seconds, thereby reducing the vehicle pile-up on the national highways road. It has also reduced the cash transactions at toll gates.
According to the NHAI sources, out of 43 toll gates, except at one or two places, FASTag has been enabled at all toll plazas. A dedicated path in the second or third lanes from the extreme left has been earmarked for FASTag vehicles at all toll plazas.
Fastag prepaid account was well patronised by frequent travellers and commercial vehicles including national permit lorries, travel and omni-buses. Tamil Nadu State Lorry Owners Federation president M R Kumarasamy said, “Though the electronic toll plazas reduced the travel time, the lorry drivers are frequently asked to make cash payment at toll plazas as the automated system fails to recognise the FASTag. By the time the vehicle leaves the toll gates money gets deducted.”
NHAI rules demand the refund request in FASTag accounts to be submitted within 15 days from the date of deduction. “It takes nearly 10 to 15 days for a travel to Gujrat, but lorries which go to Assam and Nagaland return after 30 days. Only after drivers submit bills, we are able to find the duplicate payment or double entries,” said Kumarasamy. Even tourist bus and omnibus face frequent reduction in the Fastag account.
S Nallathambi, State secretary, Tamil Nadu Tourist Bus Organisers Welfare Association, said, “After I recharge FASTag account for `2,000, the balance suddenly gets deducted by `200. When we inquire, officials are unable to provide any explanation,” he added. “The NHAI should erect a display board at all toll gates informing the revised rules, otherwise the contractors will not implement them,” urged Kumarasamy.