Mumbai: In a big step towards cashless toll plazas, the Union government on Wednesday announced that it will be compulsory for all new vehicles after December 2017 to have FASTag on them.
FASTag is electronic toll collection system being deployed in the country.
"Within the next two months, 3500 lanes at all toll plazas in the country will have FASTag detectors. All the new vehicles which will come on streets after December this year, will have to have FASTag," Union Cabinet Minister Nitin Gadkari said here on Wednesday.
He said that the experience will be so smooth that people will not have to wait at toll plazas or worry about tendering change.
"Lot of hours are wasted, waiting at toll plazas. People feel harassed because of lack of change. Toll plaza attendants are known to give toffees. All these things will be history once this happens. We will place the cameras on a rod. These cameras will capture the image of your car. They will capture the entry and exit points. Then, your account will be automatically billed accordingly. Within two months, this process will be complete," he said.
"Currently, one lane at 378 toll plazas in the country has FASTag. 7.5 lakh vehicles in the country have been fitted with FASTag. Presently, the government is getting Rs 10 Crore revenue through FASTag. We aim to fit 25 lakh vehicles with FASTag by March 2018. We expect the cashless revenue of the government to increase by 30 per cent due to FASTag," Gadkari added.
He was addressing the media on the occasion of completion of one year of demonetisation. He claimed that the move had benefited the country immensely.
"Fake currency was a huge issue faced by the country. We have been able to control it. Hawala trading is also ending due to demonetisation," he said.
He claimed that the move has led to opening of 50 lakh new accounts for daily labourers. There has been an increase of 58 per cent in digital transactions in the country, he claimed, attributing the figures to the Finance department.
"17.70 Lakh dubious accounts have been identified, in which no Income Tax returns or PAN card details are found. An inquiry is on in these accounts. 1.5 Lakh people have deposited Rs Five Crore in their accounts. It is 1/3rd of the total money in circulation in the country. The audit of these accounts is in progress," he said.
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