Deadline for FASTag extended until 15th January!
Posted on: 16/Dec/2019 4:17:15 PM
The deadline for the implementation of the electronic mode of collecting the toll gate charges all over India adopting the FASTag payment mode has been extended until 15th January.
An official from the Highways Authority of India informed that this extension of the deadline is mainly attributed due to the various problems encountered in implementation.
There are 540 toll-gates throughout India. The vehicles going through these toll-gates need to wait for long hours to pay toll charges and go. This leads to a substantial waste of fuel as well as time.
In order to end this hardship, the Central Ministry of Road Transport decided to implement the automatic payment system of FASTag.
With this system, Toll-gate charges will be automatically collected. This leads to a substantial saving of fuel and time being wasted.
The FASTag cards required are being sold through the various tollgates through banks. To obtain the FASTag card, the vehicle owners need to furnish the copies of the documents of the licence, R C Book, and PAN card.
The users of the FASTag card need to replenish at regular intervals. To be specific, at a single time, up to Rs. 400 can be recharged on the FaSTag card on an average. Whenever this goes down to Rs. 200, it is time to recharge.
Presently, when the vehicles stuck with FASTag card pass through a toll-gate, the charges are collected automatically. This is very simple and easy. However, many vehicle owners and drivers could not obtain the FASTag sticker.
The deadline set earlier for implementation of FASTag system set as 15 days (!5th December) on 1st December. However, there has been a shortage of obtaining FASTag cards as only 60% have received it so far.
It may be noted that as per the old deadline yesterday (15th December) was the last day! However, with lots of vehicle owners/drivers not having procured FASTag cards, they needed to pay the imposed double penalty! As such, the vehicle owners/drivers put up a demand for extension of the deadline. Another point to note is that the process of implementing FASTag is in process in 25% toll-gates yet. They are still to be completed.
Also, there are a number of other problems which may be encountered while implementing FASTag system. Thus, even with the earlier announcement of the deadline that FASTag cards are a MUST from 5.00 AM on 15th December, the central ministry for Highways has now ordered the Highway Authority of India to extend the deadline by another 30 days. Thus, the new deadline for implementation of FASTag cards will be 15th January.
An official from Highway Authority of India shared:
‘As the main objectives of this FASTag process are to ensure the smooth progress of the vehicles, to encourage cashless transaction, and to reduce the traffic congestion, this FASTag system is being set up in all the toll-gates. Presently, the activity of installing the chips is in progress on the Toll-gates. Further, many more are yet to procure the FASTag card. So, the deadline had to be extended. At the same time, all the 1-way traffic routes tollgates will follow a hybrid system. This will facilitate those without FASTag will also be allowed as per the normal method and pass through the toll-gate.’
