The method of paying toll tax is going to change completely from April 1. The Central Government has now decided to completely stop cash transactions at Toll Plaza, which simply means that now you will not be able to pay toll by withdrawing money from your pocket.
After this change, payment of toll will be possible only through digital means like FASTag or UPI. This step of the government is a big effort to take the country towards digital economy and make travel hassle-free.
V. Umashankar, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said in an interview that India is rapidly moving towards digital economy. Earlier, the facility of payment through UPI was started at the toll plaza, which was positively accepted by the passengers. Now the government has decided that after April 1, payment in cash will not be accepted at any toll plaza. From that date only FASTag and UPI will be valid.
Cash lanes will be completely removed from toll plazas. As soon as this decision is implemented, cash lanes will be completely removed from toll plazas across the country. Currently, it has been seen at many places that despite having FASTag, people use cash lanes, which leads to long queues especially during festivals and peak hours. With the end of cash payment, manual collection will be stopped and the problem of traffic jam will be reduced to a great extent. The government believes that cashless tolling will make the entire system faster, transparent and reliable. Repeatedly stopping the vehicle at toll plaza and then moving forward increases the fuel consumption. Drivers also face difficulty in applying brakes frequently. According to V. Umashankar, every stoppage leads to wastage of both time and diesel, which increases further in long distance journeys. With digital payment, vehicles will be able to move without stopping, which will reduce this loss to a great extent.
Multi lane free flow i.e. MLFF tolling system started This decision of the government is also being considered as preparation for another big system to be implemented in future. In the coming time, Multi Lane Free Flow i.e. MLFF tolling system will be started in the country. In this system, there will be no barrier at the toll plaza and vehicles will be able to pass directly without stopping. Toll charges will be automatically deducted through FASTag and vehicle identification technology.
Before implementing MLFF tolling, the government is going to start a pilot project at 25 toll plazas across the country. New technology will be tested at these places and the experiences of passengers will be understood. After this there is a plan to implement it in the entire country. The government claims that this system will eliminate the problem of traffic jam, reduce travel time and also reduce pollution.
Keep your FASTag active before April 1 The government has appealed to all passengers to keep their FASTag active before April 1 and ensure sufficient balance in it. Also be prepared to pay through UPI. This initiative of cashless tolling and barrier-free highways is going to completely change the road travel experience in India. In the coming time, there will be no long wait at toll plazas and the journey will become more comfortable and faster than before.