While the union government has made FASTag mandatory from Monday mid-night, there is no respite to road travellers from long queues at toll booths. Add to this the poor infrastructure available at these toll plazas, which makes it difficult to get the radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag scanned properly. However, if there is sufficient balance in the valid FASTag account, then the vehicle user is exempted from paying any fee, says a notification published in the gazette in May 2018. 

 

Pune-based activist Sanjay Shirodkar, who shared the GR, says, for the technical issues at the toll plaza, vehicle user should not be punished. He says, “If RFID is not getting scanned and there is sufficient balance in the FASTag account at any toll plaza, then it is failure of the toll contractor to collect toll. Basically, this is infrastructure failure at the toll plaza. In this case, the affected vehicle user should be not be charged any money as per the GR notification.” 

 

The notification published on 7 May 2018, in the gazette says, "...if a vehicle user with a valid, functional FASTag or any such device with sufficient balance in the linked account crossing a fee plaza installed with electronic toll collection infrastructure, is not able to pay user fee through FASTag or any such device owing to malfunctioning of electronic toll collection infrastructure, the vehicle user shall be permitted to pass the fee plaza without payment of any user fee. An appropriate zero transaction receipt shall be issued mandatorily for all such transactions.”

 

 

The electronic toll collection infrastructure mentioned in the notification is a set of equipment comprising hardware and software that facilitates electronic collection of user fees.  (Check the GR at the end of this story)   

 

According to social media posts and reports, instead of easing traffic flow, with the mandatory FASTag, there are jams on almost all major toll plazas. Many vehicle users face a common technical issue when the RFID scanners at the toll plaza fail to read the FASTag. In some cases, money also gets deducted from the user's account. However, unless the user pays the money the boom barrier remains closed. 

 

I have fastag but on one particular toll plaza scanner, they cant scan. And as per your guideline vehicle should be released without charge but they always charge double. Which kind of loot is this?@nitin_gadkari pic.twitter.com/7l0dndmR6k

— XaMeEr (@zameer1207) February 19, 2021

 

Mr. @nitin_gadkari @NHAI_Official, Pathetic infrastructure, management of FasTag. Got wrongly charged double for insufficient balance. Sometimes the card is invalid, Sometimes doesn’t get scanned. Different Toll Plazas, Different Reasons. #NHAI #fastag #FASTag #FASTagZarooriHai pic.twitter.com/UOsVTn0lYv

— Anish Doshi (@the_a_doshi) February 19, 2021

 

This is very sad to undergo this level of fraud by Toll Plaza people.
I have sufficient balance in my #Fastag wallet, but the Toll plaza people lied my account is blocked and deducted double amount with a penalty in cash, later I realised amount been deducted from my wallet also pic.twitter.com/OLKkT5O7kL

— Munagapati Rajesh Kumar (@rajeshkumar_msr) February 19, 2021

 

???????. ???? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?????? ??? ???? ? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ???? ?? ?????? (???? ??? ??????? ?? ??) ??? fastag ?? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? @nitin_gadkari @NHAI_Official pic.twitter.com/yVuvGbri0b

— Harshit Kalra (@harshitkalra11) February 19, 2021

 

@NPCI_NPCI @fastagofficial vehicle no.UP81BT9428 fastag is active but at Toll plaza shown Blacklist vehicle and I have paid double amount on the toll plaza. please check my complaint...... pic.twitter.com/X24q7KWRl9

— Bajrang Roadlines (@BajrangRoadlin1) February 19, 2021

 

Cheated by @fastagofficial I've been repeatedly charged double toll by fastag and cash bcoz of delay in payment message
When your system is not capable enough for Indian tolls then why make it compulsory to use fastag! @PMOIndia @OfficeOfNG @nitin_gadkari @NHAI_Official pic.twitter.com/yXt5FZtbgb

— CleanMyCity (@CleanMyCity1) February 19, 2021

 

@nitin_gadkari is this advantage of fastag at vashi toll? pic.twitter.com/rWsHwNs2Ci

— Er. Ashish Dabade (@smilestarashish) February 19, 2021

 

Commuters at several toll plazas on national highways are facing a long wait – stretching up to nearly half-an-hour at some toll plazas - due to glitches in the system after the government mandated all toll lanes as FASTag lanes. 

 

Quoting sources, a report from the Times of India says, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), is likely to direct toll plaza operators to allow vehicles without paying toll if there were long queues and the threshold that will trigger a free passage of vehicles through toll gates is being worked out.

 

@nitin_gadkari :Sir, ever since the roll out of Fastag which was to usher seamless travel across toll gates. But its the opposite at the Dhulagarh toll gate on NH 6 , in West bengal. Today the Que is at least of 1 km...and it is mostly like this. pic.twitter.com/7u9SfxpSJ7

— PARVINDER SAINI (@SAINI26) February 17, 2021

 

Last week, the ministry of road transport & highways has decided that all lanes in the fee plazas on national highways shall be declared as "FASTag lane of the fee plaza" with effect from midnight of 15th and 16 February 2021, and vehicles without a valid FASTag would be charged double the toll.

 

"As per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag entering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category," an official statement said.

 

In a tweet, the ministry says, since 16th February, toll collection through FASTag have been increasing. In comparison to the last week, toll collection has shown a jump of  9%, 16% and 14%  on 16th, 17th and 18 February 2021, respectively, it says.

 

Toll collection through FASTag has surged since 16 Feb on a day- to- day basis. In comparison to the last week, it has shown a jump of 9%, 16% and 14% on 16, 17 and 18 Feb, respectively.

— MORTHINDIA (@MORTHIndia) February 19, 2021

  

 

Complete madness again @KherkiDhaula on day1 of #Fastag (9:05AM) One of the most mismanaged tolls. Nothing improves with #Fastag. Created 3-4KM long jam. Imagine someone stuck in this with some emergency & loses his battle to toll gate @NHAI_Official @nitin_gadkari @DwarkaExpWay pic.twitter.com/1nHCig5cZV

— Vivek Mukherjee (@vivekmukherjee) February 18, 2021

 

Vehicles wait in long queues at the Kherki-Daula toll plaza on the first day of the implementation of the FASTag toll system, in Gurugram, Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. No cash is being accepted at toll plazas on the national highways across the country after the new system. pic.twitter.com/S0ytoGX9YO

— Har Jinder S. (@harjindermalhi) February 16, 2021

 

Since 1 December 2017, FASTag has been made mandatory for all registrations of new four wheeled vehicles and is being supplied by the manufacturers or dealers. It has been further mandated that a valid FASTag is mandatory while getting a new third-party insurance. This provision shall be applicable from 1 April 2021.

 

Here is the notification issued in the GR by the ministry on 7 May 2018…