Chennai: The Union Road Transport Ministry has made it clear that any vehicle passing through NH toll plazas without a FASTag from the midnight of 15-16 February will have to cough up double the toll charge.

The vehicles without FASTags or without valid, functional FASTagentering will be penalised with double the cost of the toll assigned to the respective vehicle.

An official statement said, ‘Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has decided that all lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways shall be declared as “FASTag lane of the fee plaza” w.e.f midnight of 15th/16th February 2021. Therefore, as per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTagentering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza shall pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category.”

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the deadline for implementation of FASTag would not be extended further, and the vehicle owners should immediately adopt the e-payment facility.

Answering to a question on FASTags, Gadkari said the government had extended FASTag registration date limit two-three times before and now, it would not be extended further. Now, everybody should immediately buy FASTags, he stated.