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FASTag lanes across 30 NHAI toll plazas will be converted into hybrid lanes, according to an official statement by the Press Information Bureau released on Monday.
The Government had announced the FASTag mandate in July 2019 converting all lanes of National Highways fee plazas, except one into FASTag lanes effective from December 2019.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) which is implementing the electronic toll collection program had later raised concerns regarding the high amount of cash transactions across 30 different plazas. The government had extended permission to 65 plazas across the country to operate up to 25 per cent of all fee lanes as hybrid (cash plus FASTag) lanes from January 15, 2020.
“Considering the request of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and keeping in view inconvenience to citizens, Government decided that 25 per cent of the FASTag lanes may be temporarily converted to hybrid lanes with the approval of Regional Officer concerned for next 30 days from 15th December 2019. It was further decided to relax the conditions regarding declaration of FASTag fee lanes for 30 days from 15th January 2020 at only 65 fee plazas of NHAI so that citizens are not put into inconvenience. These 65 fee plazas have been allowed to operate up to 25 per cent of all fee lanes as hybrid (cash plus FASTag) lanes during this period. For rest of the fee plazas, the system has been implemented as per mandate.” The official statement read.
This has been further extended to 30 identified toll plazas which will be allowed to operate up to 25 per cent of all fee lanes as hybrid (cash plus FASTag) lanes during a 30 day period from February 14.
“Further, again the relaxation was extended to 30 fee plazas of NHAI for 30 days from 14th February 2020, these 30 fee plazas have been allowed to operate up to 25 per cent of all fee lanes as hybrid (cash plus FASTag) lanes during this period,” it said.
NHAI in a bid to further enhance electronic toll collection had announced its decision to waive off the ₹100 charges for NHAI FASTag from February 15 to February 29.
“In order to further increase digital collection of user fee via FASTag at NH fee plazas, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to waive off the FASTag between February 15 and 29, 2020,” the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had said in a statement.
The government has rolled out the FASTag-based toll collection system across more than 527 national highways in the country.
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