All toll plazas in Visakhapatnam get FASTag enabled

The centre’s decision to enable FASTag in all the toll plazas of the state is being implemented in Visakhapatnam promptly. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is making preparations to implement the mandatory FASTag initiative from 1 December.

All eight toll plazas that come under Visakhapatnam NHAI jurisdiction including Madapam, Aganampudi, Chilakapalem, Anakapalle, Natavalasa, Lakshmipuram and toll plazas on the Port Connectivity Road have been FASTag enabled.

The NHAI-PIU Visakhapatnam officials stated that the sale of FASTags have been increasing exponentially, as the central government has now made it mandatory to use them, and the due date of December 1st approaching soon. As per NHAI information, almost 70 lakh FASTags have been issued to date.

The FASTag is an easy-to-use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) – based chip that is installed on the top of your car. The FASTag will then be linked to a prepaid account, into which top-up balance can be added just like one would, for recharging a mobile phone connection. There are dedicated lanes at the toll plaza which let you whiz past, without waiting in long queues. As your car passes by the toll plaza, the pre-installed scanners would make note of your unique RFID and thereby deduct the amount from your pre-linked prepaid account. This means there would be no human interaction at the toll plazas anymore.

You can purchase a FASTag from various banks that are offering it. Currently, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India and Axis Bank have been offering their customers the option to purchase a FASTag. You can also procure one via Paytm Payments Bank or Airtel Payments Bank. The documents for purchasing one include your vehicle’s Registration Certificate and KYC documents (ID and address proof). If you happen to lose your FASTag, you can simply notify the authorities, who would then block your prepaid account before issuing a new one.