FASTags became mandatory from February 15, 2021.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has announced that it will be deactivating those FASTags for which Know Your Customer (KYC) is not done. The deadline for the same is January 31, the highways authority further said in a statement. This is part of 'One Vehicle, One FASTag' initiative that aims to discourage use of single FASTag for multiple vehicles or linking multiple electronic toll collection tool to a single vehicle. To avoid inconvenience, the statement said users must ensure that KYC of their latest FASTag is completed.
"Only the latest FASTag account shall remain active as previous tags will be deactivated/blacklisted after 31st January 2024," the statement said.
Why did NHAI take this action?
The highways body said it took the initiative after it was informed that more than one FASTag has been issued for a particular vehicle and FASTags being issued without KYC in violation of RBI's mandate.
The NHAI also said that FASTags are sometimes deliberately not fixed on the windscreen of the vehicle, resulting in unnecessary delays at toll plazas and causing inconvenience to people using national highways.
What is a FASTag?
It is a pre-paid tag facility for vehicles that allows non-stop movement of traffic without having to wait at the toll plazas. It's a revolutionary step that uses Radio-Frequency Identification or RFID technology and enables automatic deduction of the toll fee.
After taking steps to digitise toll collection, the central government made FASTags mandatory from February 15, 2021 saying that any vehicle not fitted with it will be charged double the toll at electronic toll plazas across the country.
How to purchase a FASTag?
The sticker-type RFID document can be purchased from over 28,000 Point-of-Sale (POS) locations set up by various banks, national highways fee plazas, Regional Transport Offices, common service centres, transport hubs, bank branches and petrol pumps.
They are affixed on the windscreen of a car so that RFID readers installed at toll plazas can read it and deduct the required amount automatically. FASTags promote digital payments and avoid physical currency at toll booths.
You need to have your own KYC documents to purchase a FASTag, either online or offline.
What are the KYC documents needed for buying FASTag?
These documents include registration certificate (RC) of a car, identity, address proof and a passport size photo. It is important to carry all the original as well as a copy of the KYC documents.
How to check FASTag status?
- Users can visit a dedicated website https://fastag.ihmcl.com
- To login, details like registered mobile number and password are needed. Authorisation will be done through OTP.
- After logging in, navigate to dashboard, where a section called "My Profile" will be available.
- This will show a user's KYC status and profile details submitted through the registration process.
What to do if KYC is pending?
- In the Profile section, a sub-section called KYC will allow users to update their KYC.
- Users will need to fill various fields by submitting required identity and address proof documents. A passport-sized photo will also be required.
- Before clicking on Submit, users need to check and confirm the declaration.
- After clicking on Proceed, KYC verification process will be completed by submitting the required documents.