Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Sep 3: Tollgates in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and other coastal of Karnataka have earned notoriety for prolonged wait for vehicles. To obviate this problem, National Highways Authority of India has introduced e-toll collection system known as 'FASTag' which will enable people to move through tollgates smoothly without having to stop their vehicles, wait for their turn, make payments physically, and then move ahead.

Currently FASTag system has been introduced at the tollgate near NITK Suratkal. Separate lanes will be set aside for vehicles having FASTags. The authority proposes to introduce this system at the tollgates at Hejamady, Sastan, Talapady and Brahmarakootlu within a month.

FASTags are reloadable stickers that are attached to wind shields of vehicles that are radio frequency enabled. When the vehicles move thorough the tollgates, tag readers installed there identify the stickers and debit the suitable toll charges from the balance maintained in those accounts. In case the accounts do not have balance, such owners of vehicles get blacklisted. They also get intimated about this fact. The concerned will then have to remit money and maintain enough balance in their FASTag accounts.

Wherever the tollgates are completely electronic, separate electronic lanes will be provided. Currently, electronic toll system in which the vehicle registration numbers are automatically read, is not available in the coastal region.

Wherever there are eight lanes in tollgates, as per rules, one lane has to be earmarked for FASTags. In Suratkal tollgate, there are only six toll lanes, three for onward journey and three for return. Still, a lane has been set aside here for FASTags. Electronic hand reading system has been installed here, which then collects amounts from the accounts of owners.

Setting aside a lane at Brahmarakootlu appears a difficult proposition as there are only four lanes, two lanes each for oncoming and outgoing vehicles. If lanes are set aside for FASTags here, traffic chaos will erupt as under the current system FASags take about a minute to two or three minutes to complete the reading task. On an experimental basis, this system was tried at Sastan on Augut 31 but because of technical problems, the same had to be shelved temporarily. However, lanes have now been kept separately for FASTags at Hejamady and Talapady toll gates in addition to NITK.

FASTags are operated through accounts with banks. One should maintain balance in these accounts to be able to use this system. Every time a vehicle moves through a toll plaza and amount is deducted from the FASTag, the concerned gets message on cellphone. When the system gets upgraded and becomes faster, FASTags will become very convenient. One has to open FASTag accounts in banks. In respect of vehicles newly introduced to the market, they come with these stickers, and the customers can use FASTags by providing sticker numbers to banks and remit funds into them.