FASTag mandatory from February 15. Hurry up!
All lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways will be declared as "FASTag lane of the fee plaza" from the midnight of February 15/16. Those who don't have it yet should immediately buy so as to facilitate electronic payment of fee at toll plazas. It is important to note that the government has ruled out extending the FASTag registration date limit any further.
Deadline won't be extended
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the deadline for the implementation of FASTag would not be extended further, and the vehicle owners should immediately adopt the e-payment facility. He said that the government had extended the FASTag registration date limit two-three times before. The central government extended the FASTag deadline for the vehicles from January 1, 2021, to February 15, 2021.
Available at toll nakas
He said the FASTag registration has gone up to 90 percent on some routes and only 10 percent people are left. FASTag is also available on toll nakas and people should purchase and use it for seamless traffic, he said.
How does it help
Introduced in 2016, FASTags facilitate electronic payment of fee at toll plazas. Making the tags compulsory would also help in ensuring that vehicles pass seamlessly through the toll plazas, as the fee payment would be done electronically. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has said that this has been done to further promote fee payment through digital mode, reduce waiting time and fuel consumption, and provide for a seamless passage through the fee plazas. The Ministry had mandated fitment of FASTag in M&N categories of motor vehicles with effect from 1st January 2021. Category ‘M’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers.And Category ‘N’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying goods, which may also carry persons in addition to goods.
What may happen if you don't get FASTag
As per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTagentering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category.
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