In a bid to improve toll collected by the government, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to waive the fee for FASTags. According to the government notification, the waiver will be valid until February end. “NHAI has decided to waive off the FASTag cost of Rs 100 for NHAI FASTag between February 15 and 29, 2020,” said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The government had mandated collecting toll electronically through FASTags from December 15, 2019. The system was implemented across 527 highways within the country.
The ministry has stated that any traveller having valid registration certificate of the vehicle he/she drives can get a free NHAI FASTag from authorised locations dealing with the sale of these FASTags. They can also be bought from all fee plazas plying on national highways, common service centres, petrol pumps, regional transport offices and transport hubs among others.
Any road user who wants to purchase the FASTag can also download the MyFASTag App in order to search the nearest location to get it. Buyers can also call NH helpline number (1033) or can log in to www.ihmcl.com for details, the government said.
A similar move was announced by the National Highways Authority of India last year. The government had made FASTags free between November 22, 2019, and December 15, 2019. While the purchasing fee has been waived off, the security deposit for a FASTag and minimum balance required is still the same as it was earlier. A person has to deposit Rs 200 for security, which is refundable and a minimum of Rs 100 recharge.
With the implementation of the FASTag system the government aims to ensure smooth travel on highways and reduced time for toll collection, however, the system has faced teething troubles.
Meanwhile, the government has reported Rs 87 crore revenue from electronic toll collection in one day which used to be Rs 68 crore earlier. According to NHAI, after the complete implementation of FASTag system, expected revenue for one day will go up to Rs 100 crore.