NEW DELHI: Drivers without a FASTag sticker on their vehicle’s windscreen will now face double toll charges and risk being blacklisted. This penalty is part of new guidelines issued by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure smooth transit and reduce inconvenience for other travelers. The NHAI aims to deter national highway users who deliberately avoid fixing the FASTag, which disrupts the efficiency of toll operations.The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Thursday said that a detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) had been issued to all user fee collection agencies and concessionaires to charge double user fee in case of non-affixation of FASTag 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 the ministry officials.“CCTV footage with Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) at the fee plaza shall be recorded of the non-affixed FASTag cases. This will help in maintaining a proper record regarding the fee charged and presence of the vehicle in the toll lane… Any FASTag that is not affixed on the assigned vehicle as per standard process is not entitled to carry out Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) transaction at a 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 Point-of-Sale (POS),” said the ministry.The NHAI is entrusted with maintenance, and management of the National Highways (NHs) of about 70,000 km length of the total network of 1,50,000 km. Additionally, NHAI is mandated to collect user fees (tolls) 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 NHs and Expressways. There are about 1,200 toll plazas, which 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, with a provision for a 100 percent penalty for cash or non-FASTag payments. As of March 2024, more than 98 percent of user fee payments are made through FASTag at the toll Plazas. “This initiative of charging double user fee from non-affixation of FASTag will help to make toll operations more efficient and ensure seamless & comfortable journey for the National Highway users,” said officials.
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