The FASTag scheme was implemented in the National Highway toll plazas in Odisha from Sunday. It is meant to reduce congestion and traffic snarls at the toll plazas where toll collection was earlier done manually.
Most of the motorists have welcomed the move, saying it would now reduce the detention time at the tollgates
Vehicles passing through toll plazas would now pay taxes through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based tag called FASTag under the National Electronic Collection (NETC) programme of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in order to remove bottlenecks and ensure smooth movement of traffic.
FASTag is a device that employs he RFID technology and is affixed on the windscreen of the assigned vehicle and enables a customer to make toll payments directly from a linked account.
Notably, the toll plazas under the jurisdiction of State authorities are still collecting toll manually and such practice is resulting in traffic congestion leading to higher levels of fuel consumption and vehicular emissions.
Several tollgates on busy National and State highways like Puri-Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur-Jharsuguda Biju Expressway used to face severe traffic problems due to the manual system of toll collection.