The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has informed that it double user fee would be collected from vehicles entering the toll lane with non-affixed FASTag on front windshield from the inside. This new guideline is aimed to deter National Highway users from deliberately not fixing FASTag on the windscreen of the vehicle causing unnecessary delays at the toll plazas causing inconvenience to the fellow highway users.

NHAI has said that Detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) has been issued to all User Fee Collection Agencies and Concessionaires to charge double user fee in case of non-affixation of FASTag on the front windshield. In addition, CCTV footage with Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) at the fee plaza shall be recorded of the non-affixed FASTag cases which will help in maintaining proper record regarding the fee charged and presence of the vehicle in the toll lane, the Authority stated.

Any FASTag that is not affixed on the assigned vehicle as per standard process is not entitled to carry out Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) transaction at a User Fee Plaza and will have to pay double toll fee as well as can be duly blacklisted.

Issuer banks have also been directed to ensure fixation of the FASTag to the assigned vehicle on front windshield at the time of issuance from various Point-of-Sale (POS).

NHAI collects user fee on National Highways as per the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. At present, user fee is collected for approximately 45,000 km of National Highways and Expressways at around 1,000 Toll Plazas on National Highways across the country.