The deadline for FASTag ended at midnight of 15 February, 2021, and all vehicles are now required to use the tags for payment of toll fees.
Navi Mumbai / Mumbai: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has made it compulsory from today, 16 February, 2021, for all vehicle owners to use FASTag for the payment of toll fees, failing which, they will be charged at double rate, as per the NH Fee Rules, 2008.
The Radio Frequency Identification tag, or FASTag, facilitates electronic payment of fees at toll plazas, and is meant to digitize payments, minimise physical contact and smoothen the flow of traffic too.
The Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had set 15 February, 2021, as the last date for getting FASTag, urging all vehicle owners to immediately switch to the e-payment facility. There will be no further extensions.
As per the statement issued by the transport ministry, all lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways shall be declared as FASTag lanes.
For those who are unaware, the FASTag is a sticker, with RFID-enabled barcode linked with the registration details of your vehicle, allowing deduction of toll amounts from your prepaid wallet account. The sticker can be attached to the windshield the vehicle and hence it minimises human contact and interaction at toll plazas.
The FASTag can be bought at toll plazas by producing identification and vehicle registration documents. It can also be bought online through payment wallets such as Paytm, Amazon and also banks such as SBI, Axis, ICICI, HDFC Bank, Kotak Bank etc.
The cost of buying FASTag depends on the type of vehicle and the source of purchase. For instance, Paytm take Rs. 500 (Rs. 250 as refundable deposit, 150 as minimum balance, and a one-time Tag Issuance Fee of Rs. 100).
FASTag can also be bought or recharged easily through internet banking, credit or debit cards and UPI.
The validity of a FASTag is of five years from the date of purchase, while the recharge amount does not carry any extended validity period.
The only exception are people like ministers, judges, lawmakers, military officers, emergency service workers and bureaucrats, who are exempted from paying tolls, and don’t need to buy FASTag.
Last Updated on February 16, 2021 by lp@admin
