Vizag : Cashless payment mechanism at toll gates across the country will become operational from Monday. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) started FASTag so uninterrupted vehicle movement can be achieved at toll plazas. Employing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a tag is attached to windscreens of vehicles making it possible for electronic deductions to happen from the prepaid account linked to it whenever they pass a toll gate.
There is a one time fee of Rs 200 with refundable security deposits depending on the vehicle type. A cashback of 10% can be available by the users of FASTag in the financial year of 2016-2017. It can be recharged online and has a validity of 5 years. Users get SMS alerts for transaction and remaining balance. It is presently operational at more than 240 toll plazas across the country and more will be added in the future. The Visakhapatnam(Vizag) – Port Connectivity Project’s main toll gate (Gosthani Gate, Vizag) across NH5 is equipped now.
The minimum recharge amount is Rs 100 with the maximum going upto Rs 1 lakh for commercial vehicles. ICICI and Axis banks have so far tied up for this service. “FASTag will be available on sale from selected toll plazas on National Highways and designated branches of participating banks from April 25. It can be recharged by making payments through cheque or online through credit card/debit card/NEFT/RTGS or through net-banking,” NHAI told PTI.
While adopting FASTag is voluntary at this point of time, but it could become mandatory in the future.
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