From 1 December, all vehicles including both private and commercial will have to fix FASTags on windscreens for automatic payment of tax at toll plazas across the country. With the directives of the union ministry of road transport, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in Bengal has already started to sensitise owners and drivers of all categories of motor vehicles plying through toll plazas on national highways across the state through public announcements.
NHAI men were found making public announcements through loudspeakers at toll plazas on Delhi Road. Vehicles without FAStags will have to pay twice the normal toll rate at the plazas. FASTags are prepaid automatically rechargeable tags that will automatically deduct the toll amount while crossing plazas on highways. With the help of these tags drivers won’t be require to pay tolls in cash and thus all vehicles will cross plazas fast without waiting in a long queue. As soon as the vehicle crosses the toll plaza, the toll fee will be deducted from bank account or prepaid wallet linked with FASTags.
There will be Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system in the FASTags. “We are using the FASTags for our buses under the state transport undertakings plying n the city and districts. The state government-operated buses getting concessions while paying tolls using FASTags system. From now all other vehicles both government and private will have to fix FASTags on the windscreens,” said Narayan Swarup Nigam, transport secretary.
FASTags are issued by more than 20 authorised banks through various channels like point-of-sale at toll plazas on national highways in states. FASTag can be bought from the certified banks like SBI, HDFC, Sindicate Bank, PNB, Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank etc. “We are not yet prepared to implement the Ministry’s directives during this short period. We have made requests to the Ministry to give us time,” said Rahul Chatterjee, Paschimbanga Bus Minisbus Samannay Samiti secretary.