'Toll collection increased after FASTag mandatory'

The toll collection across national highways increased substantially after the government pushed vehicle owners to use FASTags mandatorily for paying toll charges.

After RFID (radio-frequency identification)-based FASTag was implemented to collect toll, the toll revenue increased to Rs 81 crore/day from Rs 68 crore/day, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday while addressing FICCI annual convention.

After announcing the mandatory use of FASTags, the pilferage in toll collection has come down drastically, he said, adding that collection will improve further once entire system stabilizes.

A National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) official said there were reports of congestion in nearly 30-40 toll plazas out of the total 530 plazas. The average waiting times also reduced as the system is improving day by day.

There is congestion in some toll plazas due to non-FASTag vehicles entering tag lane and causing jams. More awareness will help ensure non-tag vehicles not entering the cashless lane, said the officials.