STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India has decided to strictly implement 100 per cent electronic collection at Toll Plazas through FASTag with effect from January 1, 2021.
“In order to promote the payment through digital mode and to provide a seamless passage to the fee plazas, it has been decided that all the lanes shall be declared as ‘FASTag lane of fee plaza’ and user of the vehicle not fitted with FASTag entering into FASTag lane of the fee plazas shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category of the vehicle,” said Ajay Kumar Rajak, Project Director, NHAI Jammu.
He added that the trials of 100 per cent electronic collection will be conducted at Thandikhui Toll Plaza in Samba, Bann Toll Plaza in Jammu District and Lakhanpur Toll Plaza in Kathua District.
Increase in use of FASTag will lead to non-stop movement across the Toll plazas in near future, he said adding that NHAI is making every possible effort for hassle-free movement of VVIP, Defence Personnel, Ambulance and other exempted vehicles and avoiding the traffic Jams.
Ajay further informed that the recharge or topup once made in the account linked to the FASTags can be used whenever the vehicle crosses any of the toll plazas in the country.
Non FASTag vehicles will have longer waiting time and will not be allowed to cross the toll plaza, he said adding that they will have to pay double the toll on entering the Toll Plaza and has to install the FASTag.
The vehicle fitted with FASTag will move swiftly through the toll plaza at the existing rates and even discounts like return journey monthly pass, local district discount to commercial vehicle are only available on using Fastags. Project Director also informed that they are distributing pamphlets at toll plazas, making use of public announcement systems, continuously interacting with media and giving advertisement in local and National Newspapers to create awareness and promote the use of FASTag so as to achieve the goal of 100% electronic toll collection.
FASTag have been made available at the toll plazas, branches of banks e.g. HDFC, ICICI, Kotak Mahindra, Paytm etc. NHAI FASTag is available at the toll plazas which can be recharged/linked with bank account by using ‘My FASTag App’. These FASTag can also be bought from online shopping sites e.g. Amazon, Paytm, etc.
Rajak said that the rule will be strictly implemented in the UT and no vehicle will be allowed to cross the Toll Plaza without FASTag and also double Toll shall be imposed without FASTag from Ist January, 2021 and has requested all the stake holders to install/activate the FASTags on their vehicles before 1st January, 2021 for seamless movement across the toll plazas on the National Highways in India.