Govt Extends Deadline On Mandatory FASTag Implementation To 15 December

On Friday, the central government extended the deadline to roll out 100 percent electronic toll collection using FASTags on national highways from 1 December to 15 December 2019.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that the extension was made to allow citizens more time to adhere to the new regulations.

"It has now been decided that charging of double user fee from vehicles which enter FASTag lane without the tag will start from December 15 instead of December 1," the statement said.

The government had waived the tag cost from 21 November, which pushed the sales of FASTags towards the end of the month. Over 70 lakh FASTags had been issued till Wednesday. The highest per-day issuance was seen on 26 November when 1,35,583 tags were issued.

To promote digital payments and bring transparency, the ministry had directed that all lanes of fee plazas on national highways be declared as 'FASTag lanes' by 1 December. However, one lane in each direction was decided to be kept as 'hybrid lane' where all modes of toll payment would be accepted.

Normally affixed to the vehicle's windscreen, a FASTag enables payment of toll with just a momentary slowdown. When the vehicle reaches the toll plaza, a reader will detect the chip on the tag and deduct the toll amount from the bank account or prepaid wallet linked to the FASTag.