FASTags are now mandatory to avail discounts on return journeys or any other exemptions at toll fee plazas, for both private and commercial vehicles, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement on August 26. To make this possible, the Ministry made amendments to the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, and notified the changes in the gazette on August 24. As per the amendments: Discounts on return journeys made within 24 hours will be done automatically through a FASTag or "such other device", without requiring a separate pass. For discounts in all other cases, having a valid FASTag is mandatory. "This is another step towards promoting the use of digital payments on Fee Plazas of NHs [national highways]. The fee payable towards such discounts shall be paid through pre-paid instruments, smart card or through FASTag or on board unit (transponder) or any other such device only," the Ministry said in the statement. FASTags, originally introduced in 2014, are prepaid RFID tags which can be used to pay tolls on highways without stopping at the plaza, and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had mandated their use from December 15, 2019. The deadline to install FASTags was initially December 1, but it was postponed because several people hadn’t put up FASTags on their vehicles “due to various reasons”. Madras HC had pulled up Centre over discounts only on FASTag-equipped vehicles: In March, the Madras High Court had directed the Centre and the National Highways Authority of…
