The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has given a big relief to those vehicle owners who often travel on the National Highway. The new Fastag rules have come into effect from Monday, February 17.
Under these rules, if the Fastag of a vehicle is blacklisted or there is not enough balance in it, then a fine will be imposed at the toll plaza. These rules have been implemented by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which handles the responsibility of digital toll payment. However, NHAI has clarified that these new rules will not cause any problem for those traveling on the highway.
Earlier this week, NPCI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued new guidelines highlighting major changes in FASTag rules. FASTag is a mandatory mode of payment at toll gates across all national highways in India. To ensure smooth flow of traffic and better user experience, the new rules state that blacklisted FASTags or tags without sufficient balance may be charged double the toll fee.
New FASTag rules: Clarification on double charge
NHAI has also clarified that the new FASTag rules will not change the experience of commuters at toll plazas. According to NHAI, these rules issued by NPCI have been made to resolve disputes between banks, which have nothing to do with the common people. The purpose of implementing these rules is to ensure that digital payments are completed on time so that commuters do not face any problem.
NHAI has also clarified under what circumstances double toll fee will be charged. NHAI’s statement said, “NPCI has issued this circular to resolve disputes between banks so that there are no misunderstandings regarding the status of FASTag.”
Fastag balance can be recharged anytime
NHAI has also said that Fastag users can recharge their balance any time before they cross the toll plaza. All national highway toll plazas provide the facility of real-time tag status. However, this facility has not been fully implemented on some state highways yet, but the process is underway to implement it soon.
New Fastag rules: What did NPCI say?
Under the new Fastag rules, if a user’s Fastag is blacklisted for more than 1 hour, his transaction will be rejected at the toll plaza. This rule will also apply to those Fastags which are blacklisted just 10 minutes before the toll plaza. In such a situation, the user may have to pay double the toll fee. However, Fastag users will get a window of 70 minutes to update their balance, so that they can fill their balance on time.
Also, if someone has recharged 10 minutes before reaching the toll plaza and is still charged a fine, they can apply for a refund. If a FASTag is wrongly charged due to low balance or being blacklisted by mistake, the issuing bank can initiate the chargeback process within 15 days.
Delay in transaction may also attract additional charges.
If the FASTag transaction takes more than 15 minutes to complete after a vehicle crosses the toll plaza, in such cases also, the user may have to pay additional charges.
What is Fastag?
The ‘One Nation, One Tag’ scheme was implemented across the country in December 2019. Its purpose was to help vehicles pass through toll plazas faster and promote cashless transactions. Fastag is mandatory for all vehicles in India, regardless of their life or type. This system has reduced the time spent at toll plazas, increased transparency and also improved toll collection.
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