FASTag made mandatory for availing discounts on NH toll plazas

Ranga Reddy: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is deciding to make the use of FASTag mandatory for availing return journey discount and any other exemptions at toll plazas. All the fees at toll plazas are to be paid with the help of FASTag. Even after introducing the FASTag, 40 per cent of the people are still paying the toll fees in the form of cash.

So the ministry is trying to promote the use of digital payments on fee plazas of National Highways and searching for alternative solutions to reduce the payment of toll fees with cash. The ministry is availing the return journey discount and other exemptions only to the FASTag users. Recently the Central government has issued a gazette making the use of FASTag mandatory at the toll plazas for payments and instructed all the State NHAI officials to follow it.

Earlier, a discount on return journey within 24 hours was available to all non-FASTag and FASTag users.

50 per cent of fee was exempted on return journey within 24 hours. But, now users who wish to claim a discount for making a return journey within 24 hours or any other local exemptions, shall be required to have a valid functional FASTag on the vehicle.

non-FASTag users have make to the full payment. The vehicle owners who are travelling and living within 10 km radius of toll plaza were exempted from paying toll tax. NHAI will ensure that discounts in all such cases having a valid FASTag, is made necessary.

Public had monthly passes for travelling and for making payments at the toll plazas. They would pay tax for a month. They were exempted on paying some of the toll tax. But, now such a facility is only available to the FASTag users. Others have to make the complete payment of toll tax.

The fee payable towards such discounts shall be paid through pre-paid instruments, smart card or through FASTag or on board unit (transponder) or any other such device. So that FASTag is employed for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it and is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle and enables the commuter to drive through toll plazas, without stopping for cash transactions.