FASTag mandatory from midnight on 15 February; vehicles sans stickers to pay double toll fee

New Delhi: The government on Sunday said it has made FASTags mandatory from 15 February midnight and any vehicle not fitted with it will be charged double the toll at electronic toll plazas across the country.The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in a statement said it has decided that all lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways shall be declared as ''FASTag lane of the fee plaza'' from midnight of 15th/16th February 2021."Therefore, as per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag entering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category," the statement said.The ministry has clarified that this has been done to further promote fee payment through digital mode, reduce waiting time and fuel consumption, and provide for a seamless passage through the fee plazas.The ministry had mandated fitment of FASTag in M&N categories of motor vehicles with effect from 1 January, 2021.Category ‘M’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers. And Category ‘N’ stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying goods, which may also carry persons in addition to goods.