New Delhi, February 16: FASTag has become mandatory for all vehicles across the country from Midnight on February 15. All lanes in the fee plazas on national highways are declared as "FASTag lane of the fee plaza". The rollout of electronic toll collection at all toll plazas aims to prevent congestion at toll plazas of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Notably, any vehicle passing through tolls at National Highways have to pay double the toll if they don't have valid FASTag. As per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, FASTag had been made mandatory since 2017 for registration of new four-wheeled vehicles, and is to be supplied by the vehicle manufacturer or their dealers. FASTag Becomes Mandatory: Seamless, Hassle-Free Movement, Says Indore Commuters.

Here Are Frequently Asked Questions About FASTag:

What is FASTag?

FASTag is an electronic toll collection system in the country operated by the NHAI. It employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid or savings account linked to it.

From Where FASTag Can Be Brought?

FASTag can be bought by 22 certified banks through Point-of-Sale (PoS) at National Highway toll plazas. These are also issued at selected branches of the banks, including ICICI, HDFC, Kotak. FASTags are also available on e-commerce platforms, like Amazon, Flipkart and Paytm Mall. It is also available at petrol pumps.

What Is The Minimum Amount That Motorists Should Have in Their FASTag Wallet?

Earlier this month, the NHAI decided to do away with the requirement of maintaining a minimum amount in FASTag wallet. The move aims at ensuring seamless movement at electronic toll plazas. It was decided that the users will now be allowed to pass through the toll plaza, if the FASTag account/ wallet balance is non-negative.

What Will Happen If You Do Not Have FASTag?

The Road and Transport Ministry on Sunday said that any vehicle passing through tolls at National Highways have to pay double the toll if they don't have valid FASTag.

The government decided to introduce FASTag in a bid to promote the faster payment of fees through the digital mode so that vehicles can move through seamlessly. Earlier, the FASTag was to be implemented on January 1, 2021, but it was postponed to February 15.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 16, 2021 02:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).