New Delhi: After the successful implementation of FASTag, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is looking forward to implement yet another system that would make toll collection even more faster, confirmed Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari.
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The minister, in an interview with the Indian Express, said that the government is moving ahead with a plan to remove toll plazas across India’s national highways and instead, rely on automatic number plate reader cameras, which will read vehicle number plates and automatically deduct toll from the linked bank accounts of vehicle owners. The minister added that a pilot project is already in place and the legal amendments to facilitate this transaction are being moved.
“In 2019, we made a rule that cars will come with company-fitted number plates. So, the vehicles that have come in the last four years have different number plates. Now, the plan is to remove toll plazas and put cameras, which will read these number plates and toll will be deducted from the account directly. We are also doing a pilot of this scheme”, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
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However, the minister also said that the absence of a law to penalise a vehicle owner who skips the toll plaza is a problem and a provision needs to be brought under the law.
The IE report also said at present, 97 per cent of the total toll collection, amounting to nearly Rs 40,000 crore, happens through FASTags. It also cited government data showing with FASTag, it takes approximately 47 seconds for a vehicle to cross a toll plaza. A complete overhaul in the toll collection system is undoubtedly an Herculean task, but FASTag was a big change which India embraced without much hiccups being reported. With timely implementation taking into account all the concerning factors, India can march into the future with flying colours.
