Heated arguments were seen at toll plazas in the State on Tuesday as double toll fee was collected from vehicles that did not use radio frequency-enabled FASTag cards that allow electronic deduction of fee. The Centre has made toll collection through FASTag mandatory from February 15.
At a toll plaza on the GST Road, of the 1,500 vehicles that entered the FASTag only lanes, some 300 showed their displeasure and anger. “The others just did not bother about the double charge. When we advised them to take the FASTag cards, they did not want to,” said a toll operator.
Another toll operator said that last month, not many of those who entered FASTag-only lanes and paid double charges bought the cards. “We had 15,000 double payment vehicles. Getting FASTag cards has been made simpler and there is no charge of ₹100 collected previously. They have to make a minimum payment of ₹200 and that amount can be fully used for paying toll fee,” he said. The cards are a convenient option for toll operators since they need not handle cash. Vehicles too are taking lesser time to cross plazas.
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