FASTags are now mandatory for four-wheelers carrying passengers (Category M) and those carrying goods and passengers (Category N). The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways had first announced its intention to mandate FASTags for new vehicles — those sold before December 2017 — in September. In November, it announced that the electronic toll collection tool would be mandatory for four-wheelers sold after December 2017. FASTags are already mandatory for vehicles sold before December 1, 2017. However, people can still pay for toll collections in cash on hybrid lanes until February 15, 2021; only FASTag payments will be accepted in FASTag dedicated lanes. “The Ministry has clarified that it is committed to implementation of 100% E-tolling at fee plazas from 1st January, 2021 onwards, mandated under CMV Rules, as amended,” according to the press statement on December 31. In November, the Ministry had also said that FASTags would become mandatory to get third-party vehicle insurance policies starting April 1, 2021. The RFID-stickers, used for online toll collections, is already mandatory to avail discounts on two-way tolls. Several lanes at these toll plazas are now available only to vehicles with FASTag stickers. Per a report from February 2020, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had collected ₹20 crore from over 18 lakh “defaulters” who were supposed to stay out of these exclusive lanes. As of May 2020, the NHAI had issued 1.68 crore stickers.
