The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has implemented strict measures to ensure proper use of FASTags on national highways. Effective immediately, vehicles entering toll lanes without a properly affixed FASTag will be charged double the standard user fee.
This decision comes in response to deliberate non-compliance by some motorists, which has led to unnecessary delays and inconvenience for other highway users. The NHAI has issued comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to all User Fee Collection Agencies and Concessionaires to enforce this new policy.
The new guidelines state that vehicles without a properly affixed FASTag on the front windshield will incur double the user fee. Toll plazas will prominently display information about the penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, CCTV will record non-compliant vehicles, including their registration numbers, to maintain accurate records.
The NHAI emphasizes that FASTags must be affixed to the assigned vehicle’s front windshield from the inside. Failure to do so may result in the tag being blacklisted and rendered ineligible for Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) transactions.
Issuer banks have been instructed to ensure proper FASTag fixation at the time of issuance from various Point-of-Sale locations.
Currently, user fees are collected on approximately 45,000 km of National Highways and Expressways at around 1,000 toll plazas across India. With a penetration rate of about 98% and over 80 million users, FASTag has revolutionized electronic toll collection in the country.
The NHAI collects user fees on National Highways in accordance with the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. These new measures aim to further streamline the process and improve overall highway user experience.