The Centre has issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
To deter users from deliberately not fixing FASTag on the windscreen of the vehicle, the National Highways Authority of India has issued guidelines to collect double toll fees from such users.
The Centre said deliberate non-affixation of FASTag on the windscreen leads to unnecessary delays at the toll plazas causing inconvenience to other users.
The Centre has issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to all User Fee Collection Agencies and Concessionaires to charge double toll fees in cases of non-affixation of FASTag on the front windshield.
The New SOPs
The information will also be prominently displayed at all user fee plazas, informing highway users about the penalties for non-compliance of entering a toll lane without a fixed FASTag on the front windshield.
In addition, CCTV footage with Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) at the fee plaza shall be recorded of the non-affixed FASTag cases. This will help in maintaining proper records regarding the fee charged and the presence of the vehicle in the toll lane.
By already established rules, NHAI aims to enforce the standard procedural guidelines for affixation of FASTag on the front windshield of the assigned vehicle from inside.
Any FASTag that is not affixed on the vehicle as per standard process, will not be entitled to carry out Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) transactions at a User Fee Plaza and will have to pay a double toll fee as well as can be duly blacklisted.
Issuer banks have also been directed to ensure the fixation of the FASTag to the assigned vehicle on the front windshield at the time of issuance from various points of sale (POS).
With a penetration rate of around 98 per cent and over 8 crore users, FASTag has revolutionized the Electronic Toll Collection system in the country.
The Centre said the initiative of charging double user fees from non-affixation of FASTag will help to make toll operations more efficient and ensure seamless and comfortable journeys for the National Highway users.