Paste FASTag on windshield or pay double toll

If you travel on National Highways via your vehicle, this news is crucial for you. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has issued a new rule regarding the placement of FASTag in vehicles. According to this new rule, if your vehicle does not have a FASTag, you will have to pay double the toll tax.

What is the New FASTag Rule by NHAI?

Often, people do not paste their FASTag on the front windshield of their vehicles. Addressing this issue, NHAI has issued new guidelines regarding FASTag. According to these guidelines, if a vehicle is traveling on a National Highway without a FASTag on the front windshield, the driver will need to pay double the toll fee at the toll plaza. NHAI has issued instructions for collecting double the toll tax from such vehicles.

The NHAI guidelines state that deliberately not placing the FASTag on the windshield causes unnecessary delays at the toll plaza. This inconveniences other travelers on the National Highway. To ensure the smooth movement of vehicles through the toll plaza without any interruption, this measure has been taken.

Details of the New FASTag Guidelines

NHAI has also said that information about the new rule will be prominently present at all toll plazas. This is to ensure that drivers who do not have a FASTag on their windshield are aware of the penalty and can avoid such negligence.

CCTV cameras will keep a check on the presence of FASTag in a vehicle. The CCTV footage will be used to record instances where the FASTag is not present on the windshield. It will also record the vehicle’s registration number at the toll plaza. This will help in maintaining accurate records of charges collected and the vehicle’s presence at the toll lane.

According to NHAI, any FASTag that is not properly affixed on the vehicle as per the SOP will disqualify the vehicle from using the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) lane. Additionally, the driver will need to pay double the toll fee. Furthermore, such drivers may be blacklisted.

Banks issuing FASTags have also been instructed to ensure that the FASTag is affixed to the front windshield of the vehicle at various points of sale.

Under the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, NHAI collects toll taxes on National Highways. Currently, toll taxes collection takes place through approximately 1,000 toll plazas on about 45,000 kilometers of National Highways and Expressways across the country.

According to the new SOP by NHAI..

• Simply having a FASTag is not enough; paste it correctly on the windshield.
• If the FASTag is not fixed on the correct spot, you will have to pay double the toll tax.
• To avoid this, paste the FASTag from the inside of the front windshield so that it can be read easily. This will avoid delays for you and other travelers at the toll plaza.

By following these guidelines, you can prevent unnecessary fines and ensure a smooth travel experience on National Highways.