No FASTag? Pay twice the amount on highway toll plazas after Feb 15

Any vehicle that passes through national highway toll plazas after February 15 must pay twice the charges if it does not have a FASTag, the ministry of road transport and highways said in an order on Sunday.

"Vehicles not fitted with FASTag or vehicles without valid, functional FASTag entering the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category," the ministry said.

The ministry has decided that all lanes in the toll plazas on national highways shall be declared as “FASTag lane of the fee plaza” with effect from midnight of February 15-16.

The ministry in a statement issued Sunday has also clarified that this has been done to further promote fee payment through digital mode, reduce waiting time and fuel consumption, and provide for a seamless passage through the fee plazas.

Earlier, the government had mandated FASTag for motor vehciles in M&N categories effective January 1.

Category ‘M’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers and Category ‘N’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying goods, which may also carry persons in addition to goods.