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New Toll Collection System: Is it time to say goodbye to FASTag? Now you will not have to stop at any toll gate etc. to pay toll tax, as now there will be a new satellite based system. The central government has approved the GPS based toll system. However, initially you will get the option of both, which will include both FASTag and satellite system.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Tuesday amended the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. This includes electronic toll collection with the help of satellite based system.
What is satellite based toll collection system?
For the satellite based toll collection system, the driver of a car or other vehicle will not need to stop at any toll plaza. The money will be deducted automatically from the system installed in the car. However, there is no information about whether the Fastag system will be closed or not.
This will be much faster than FASTag
Regarding this, the Union Minister has already said that the satellite based toll collection system will be much faster than Fastag. After the arrival of the satellite based toll system, many questions are also being raised whether the Fastag system will be abolished or both the systems will continue to work.
What is the 20km rule?
The notification states that if a car or any other vehicle travels on a highway, expressway, tunnel or bridge on which toll tax is applicable, then a journey of 20 km will be free. If the journey is more than 20 km, then money will be charged as per the prescribed rules.
Fastag works on RFID tags
The existing Fastag system works on RFID tags, which is an automatic toll collection system. This tag is linked to an account which is provided by the bank. In this, the users have to keep some balance on their side, as soon as they cross the toll barrier, that amount is deducted from the Fastag account.
There is also a rule of collecting double toll in this
If the fastag gets blocked or does not work, then double toll tax has to be paid as cash payment at the toll plaza. There is a similar rule in the satellite based toll collection system. There will be a separate lane for this, if a vehicle without GPS comes in it, then double toll will be charged from it.