The usage of FastTag will be made mandatory from January 1 confirmed by the road transport and highways ministry. The usage will be made compulsory in all four wheelers, as a part of its attempt to drive faster adoption of the electronic toll collection.
"As per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, since 2017 the FASTag has been made mandatory for all registration of new four wheeled vehicles and is being supplied by the vehicle manufacturer or their dealers. It has further been mandated that the renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the fitment of FASTag for the transport vehicles," an official statement said.
In September, it was reported that after the rules are amended to make the use of FASTag mandatory, a vehicle can be challaned if the device had not fitted in the car.
The government had also made it mandatory for registration of all four-wheelers sold in India from December 2017 to be fitted with FASTags to enable automatic deduction of toll charges.
As far as national permit vehicles are concerned, the fitment of FASTag has been mandated since 1 October 2019, the ministry said.
The transport ministry has also made the use of FASTag mandatory for availing new third-party vehicle insurance from 1 April, 2021.
FASTag is an electronic toll collection device fixed on the windshield of a vehicle to enable drivers to zip through toll plazas without having to stop. The use of FASTag was made compulsory earlier this year at all national highway toll plazas to reduce cash handling and decongest national highways.
Since then, the government has been trying to encourage the use of e-toll collection and disincentivize use of cash.
"Through these orders it would be a step for ensuring that the payment of fees be 100% at toll plazas through the electronic means only and that the vehicles pass seamlessly through the fee plazas. There would be no waiting time at the plazas and would save fuel," the statement said
