FASTag deadline extended by 1 more month owing to shortage of tags

For the second time, the Centre deferred its decision to make all toll lanes of National Highways toll plazas to be declared as FASTag lanes from December 1 to December 15. The RFID sticker fixed to a vehicle’s windscreen lets toll booths automatically deduct the fee so that drivers need not stop.

A senior NHAI official in the State said that the MORTH decided to delay the implementation of the mandatory electronic toll collection by a month. “All the toll plazas in the State will have two hybrid toll lanes which will enable non-FASTag vehicles to pass through paying cash as against the earlier decided one hybrid toll lane to facilitate smooth movement of vehicles,” the official said, adding that as on date, the FASTag based transactions at the toll plazas have gone upto 39 per cent from 28 per cent last month.

The NHAI in a letter to the MORTH on December 11 had sought an extension of 45 days for the conversion of all lanes to FASTag lanes. Pointing to the Ministry’s decision to waive the cost of FASTag as promotion, it said that it has created exponential demand with the issuance of FASTags reaching upto 1.96 lakh per day on December 6. “It has been realised that the chip used in the RFID tag is imported which has a lead time of 6 weeks and the average total production capacity of all manufacturers is in the range of 30-50,000 per day,” NHAI wrote.

“Banks and other selling platform supply of FASTag is contingent upon the production capacity and at present approximately 18 lakh tags inventory is available in the market. With lead time due to the import of the chip and subsequent production of the tag, there is a supply deficit in the market and all citizens will not be able to obtain FASTag,” it added.

Responding to NHAI’s letter, the ministry said, “Considering the request of NHAI and further that citizens are not put to inconvenience, to tide over the issues raised for the period of next 30 days, it is decided that depending on the traffic pile-up at high traffic volume fee plazas, not more than 25 per cent “FASTag lane of Fee Plaza” may be temporarily converted to hybrid lanes.”