Travelling from Kolhapur to Pune? Be aware of new Toll plaza rules.
What is FASTag?
FASTag is electronic toll collection system in India set of by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
It has RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology which collects automatic payments at the tool booth with the help of scanning the tag placed on your car windshield.
Fastag is a prepaid account that is linked with your payment app or savings bank account. You need to refill the account no matter when you travel. The debited money directly gets credited to toll owner.
Need of FASTag
FASTag was organised by National Highway Authority of India on November 2014, 6 years ago. This service was implemented over Pan-India under Ministry of Road Transport and Highway.
To avoid choking at Toll plazas, government has made it obligatory to use the tag. Using FASTag have reduce the long annoying and tiresome waiting minutes in toll lane and obviously some burning fuel.
The system was first setup as pilot project in 2014 between Ahmedabad and Mumbai on the stretch of Golden Quadrilateral. Now 600+ tolls are connected with FASTag throughout India. On January 1 2021, FASTag was made compulsory at every toll plaza in country.
Is FASTag service available from Kolhapur to Pune Highway?
Pune Kolhapur highway is considered to be one of the busiest highway route. Distance from Kolhapur to Pune is 240 Kms by road which is approximately 5hrs journey.
There are total 4 toll plaza on Kolhapur Pune highway.
- Kini Toll Plaza
- Tasawade Toll Plaza
- Anewadi Toll Plaza
- KhedShivapur Toll Plaza
All the Toll plaza lanes are equipped with FASTag service. There are also cash lane service if you do not have FASTag on your car. But from 1st January 2021 government has requisite that either put on the FASTag or pay the double toll charge.
I am a frequent traveler of this NH4 route. Early days when cash toll service was active, commuters were despondent to wait in long ques to pass the toll. There is a 3 minute waiting rule on toll plaza implemented by NHAI, but unfortunately many are unaware about this.
Due to long hours of waiting in the que, Mr.Hariom Jindal, an advocate by profession filed an RTI about the waiting rules at the toll plaza. The RTI was filled in Ludhiana.
RTI came to the conclusion in favor of Mr.Jindal that if any commuter spends more than 3 minutes on toll plaza, the vehicle is not required to pay toll tax as stated by NHAI . He can pass his vehicle freely. This 3 minute rule led to many brawl between Toll plaza and commuters.
Earlier Union minister Nitin Gadkari has stated that FASTag are likely to reduce the nation’s GDP loss by reducing loss of fuel while long waiting at toll plazas.
Further the toll plaza south side from Kolhapur to Bangalore and North side Pune to Delhi all toll plazas are equipped with FASTag service.
Pic Credit: Wikipedia
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