From next month, Mumbaikars will need to have FASTag for their car. FASTag has been made mandatory for road trips involving the crossing of any toll plazas across national highways in India. This is an extension of the previous deadline of January 1, which was earlier confirmed by the Union minister for road transport, highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari.
FASTag has been made mandatory on Rajiv Gandhi Bandra-Worli Sea Bridge and Mumbai-Pune Expressway from January 1, after MSRDC took the initiative and ordered the toll contractor to install the system in Mumbai last year. To enter Mumbai, there are five toll plazas at Dahisar (Western Expressway), Mulund (Lal Bahadur Shastri Road), Mulund (East Expressway), Airoli (Mulund-Airoli Road) and Vashi (Siva-Panvel Road). MSRDC had ordered to complete the installation of FASTag system in these five places by January 1, 2020.
The work to install FASTag had begun last year, however, due to lockdown, the required censors could not be imported from Thailand. As a result, the installation work was delayed, said officials. Eventually, the FASTag system was operational in mid-October at other four nakas, except the Pathkar naka at Dahisar.
According to officials, FASTag has received a good response so far on Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Bandra-Worli Sea Bridge. Hence, a hybrid lane for collecting toll fee will be operational till February 15.
Moreover, the FASTags have also been made mandatory for registration of new four-wheelers and are being supplied by the automakers or the dealerships. A valid FASTag will be required for obtaining new third party insurance from April 1, 2021.
The cost of buying a FASTag depends on two things. First, the class of vehicle you are buying it for —a car, jeep or van, or a bus or truck, light commercial vehicles, construction machines etc. Secondly, the bank you are buying the FASTag from will have their own policies regarding issuance fees and security deposits. At this time, for instance, you can buy a FASTag for a car from Paytm for INR 500—this includes INR 250 refundable security deposit and the INR 150 minimum balance threshold that needs to be maintained.
A FASTag is valid for a period of five years from the date of issuance. The recharge that you do for the FASTag account does not have any validity and can remain active in the wallet for the entire duration of the FASTag validity.
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