December 15 complaints pour in on FASTag

Chennai-based IT professional who has been using FASTag for more than a year, welcomed the move, but said it had some serious flaws.

CHENNAI: At a time when the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is pushing hard to enforce the mandatory electronic toll collection (ETC) mode in all toll plazas in the country, there are complaints that radio-frequency identification (RFID)-based FASTag is not working properly and deduction of toll fees is often erratic at several outlets in the state.

Tamil Nadu: Ahead of December 15, complaints pour in on FASTag glitches

Netizens have flagged several issues related to FASTag, mandatory after December 15, on social media and demanded that the authorities iron out the flaws.

“I kept the new FASTag in the cover, without opening it, in the dashboard of my car. After reaching home, I saw the messages and found money was deducted,” tweeted @SKPkaruna.

Another tweet said Rs 600 was automatically deducted from a FASTag sent by post to Chennai. When checked, the vehicles carrying the postal cover passed through the toll plazas. Hence, the RFID deducted the amount.

N Kumar, a Chennai-based IT professional who has been using FASTag for more than a year, welcomed the move, but said it had some serious flaws.

“The present model is based on film scanning (bar reading). The person manning the toll plaza can deduct money by entering the bar code of a vehicle. There are high chances of misusing the existing system. Instead, the NHAI should opt for chips. It will ensure double check before money is deducted,” Kumar said.

Recalling an incident that happened a year ago, he said toll was collected from his friend’s account at a plaza in Andhra Pradesh when he was at his house in Chengalpet.

“After receiving the message, he immediately drove his car to the toll plaza at Chengalpet and passed through it to keep record that he was at Chengalpet at that time. Later, he took the issue to the notice of NHAI officials,” he said.

Similarly, several vehicle owners, who have switched to the ETC mode, said there were incidents of double deduction while passing through toll plazas. People also complained that the RFID was not reading properly.