FASTag mandatory for vehicles from today. Have you got yours?

New Delhi : If you want to take your vehicle on the national highways after February 15 (Monday) midnight, you would mandatorily require a FASTag to cross the toll plazas. The Union Ministry of Road Transportation and Highways has announced that the vehicles will have to use the RFID for payments, those which will not be having an RFID tag on the vehicle will be charged the double amount of toll charges.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has made it clear that there will be no extension in the deadline to implement FASTag and the vehicle owners must get it at their earliest.

"It has been decided that all lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways shall be declared as FASTag lane with effect from the midnight of February 15/16," a statement issued by the transport ministry has said.

Where to get FASTag?

The FASTag can be purchased from several toll plazas across the country. It can also be purchased online via banks, Paytm and Amazon.

The cost of a FASTag may vary, depending upon the type of vehicle you are using. For instance, you can buy FASTag for your car from Paytm for Rs 500, out of which Rs 250 will be your refundable security deposit and Rs 150 will be your wallet balance.

If you are purchasing FASTag from a bank then it will be linked to the digital wallet of that bank with your account. A FASTag is valid for five years from the date of purchase and the recharge amount does not have any extended validity period associated with it.

Who are exempted from using FASTag?

People like judges, ministers, lawmakers, top bureaucrats and military officers, and emergency service workers, do not need to get FASTag.