FASTag: Sea link, Mumbai’s five toll plazas to accept cash till March

MUMBAI: The Bandra-Worli sea link and Mumbai’s five entry points—Vashi, Airoli, LBS, Mulund and Dahisar toll plazas—will continue to accept cash in a few lanes till March 10 and 31, respectively. Mumbai Traffic Police said that they have not yet received orders to fine motorists without FASTags on their vehicles on city roads.
The transport ministry has directed that Tuesday onwards, vehicles without the tags on their windshield will have to pay twice the normal toll in case they pay cash at toll plazas on national highways, including Mumbai-Pune Expressway.The penalty would be Rs 300 for first offence and Rs 500 for repeat offence for vehicles not sporting FASTags.

“All lanes on the sea link and the city’s five entry points are FASTag-enabled, but to meet certain technicalities on part of the contractor, we will not make it compulsory. On the sea link, cash collection will be allowed in two lanes, while at the entry points, three to four lanes in both directions will have compulsory FASTag, the rest will have both cash and FASTag transactions for toll collection,” said Vijay Waghmare, joint managing director, MSRDC. The sea link and Mumbai entry points are already charging double toll if vehicles without the RFID tag on the windshield enter the FASTag-only lanes, officials clarified.
Even at toll nakas, police will not be involved in charging double the amount of fines.. “Our only role will be to ensure there is no congestion at toll nakas. And if there’s a law-and-order problem, the local police will step in,” said highway police superintendent Sunita Salunkhe.
There has been a rush for FASTag applications since last week, with the urgency to meet the deadline for installing the RFID tags on vehicles by Monday midnight. Most toll nakas in the city witnessed traffic jams on Sunday. Restaurateur Farhan Azmi tweeted that traffic was backed up till 3km on Sion-Panvel Highway at Vashi toll plaza as the FASTag scanners were malfunctional.
Motorists can buy RFID tags on the spot from the FASTag stalls near toll plazas or nearby listed bank branches, said officials. But, if a motorist buys the tag online via bank websites, it will take a few days for the bank to home deliver the sticker. Since stalls offer quick activation, officials said, motorists are queuing up in large numbers at Dahisar, Mulund and Vashi toll plazas.
Sagar Patil, who issues FASTags near the Mulund toll plaza, said: “Motorists just need to show their Aadhaar card, RC book (smartcard) and PAN card. We fill the form and issue a FASTag for Rs 200, including loading Rs 100 cash in the FASTag sticker,” Patil said, adding that they also offer a top-up facility at the stall.
Meanwhile, national highway officials warned that cash counters will be replaced by FASTag scanners at toll plazas on all national highways. “There will be no scope for cash payment,” said an official, adding that only 70% of motorists in the western region have bought tags.