Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 26: The vehicles owners commercial as well as private of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, have to affix FASTags as both the toll plazas in Jammu region as well as one in Kashmir region would have all the lanes FASTags, except one lane that too only for a brief period.
Sources in the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) informed Early Times that as per the directions of Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry, all the lanes on both the toll plazas would be FASTags lanes and the vehicles without the FASTags would have to shell out double the amount paid as toll if passed through these lanes.
"It has been decided that for the first week or for first fifteen days, one lane will be for those vehicles, which would not have FASTags from whom cash will be taken as toll but that will be only for few days", an official of NHAI said, adding that there were apprehensions of huge traffic jams on the non-FASTag single lane, so it was yet to be decided for how many days, same lane would not be FASTag lane.
From December 1, all the lanes will be FASTags except one lane on each toll plazas, sources said, adding, a final call is yet to be taken for how long one lane would be without FASTag, the official said, adding that all the lanes would be FASTag lanes and the vehicles without the FASTags would be charged double the normal toll price.
In this way, all the vehicle owners, who would be passing through the toll plaza lanes, either Sarore, Ban or even at Kashmir toll plaza would have to get FASTags otherwise would have to pay double. "When all the lanes at the toll plazas would be FASTags, then the employees engaged at the toll plazas would also be reduced and it will be beneficial for the contractors of the toll-plazas while the people engaged there would be rendered jobless.
FASTags are prepaid rechargeable tags for toll collection that allow automatic payment deduction from the FASTag, they are normally affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle. The vehicles with FASTag, would not have to stop at the toll plazas to pay the toll. When the vehicle will cross the toll plaza, the toll fee will automatically get deducted from the bank account/prepaid wallet linked to the FASTag affixed on the vehicle's windscreen. |
