The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has further streamlined its policy, directing Toll Collecting Agencies and Concessionaires to immediately report and blacklist “loose FASTags,” commonly referred to as “tag-in-hand.” This decisive action is crucial ahead of upcoming initiatives such as the Annual Pass System and Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling, which demand robust FASTag authenticity and system reliability. This press release was issued on July 11, 2025.
The practice of vehicle owners deliberately not affixing FASTags to their windscreens poses significant operational challenges. These include leading to lane congestion, generating false chargebacks, enabling misuse within closed-loop tolling systems, and ultimately disrupting the entire Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) framework. Such issues result in unnecessary delays at toll plazas and inconvenience for other National Highway users.
To facilitate prompt corrective measures, NHAI has provided a dedicated email ID and issued clear directives to its Toll Collection Agencies and Concessionaires, instructing them to immediately report any instances of loose FASTags. Upon receiving these reports, NHAI commits to taking swift action to initiate the blacklisting or hotlisting of the reported FASTags.
With a penetration rate exceeding 98 percent, FASTag has already revolutionized the Electronic Toll Collection system across the country. This new initiative is expected to further enhance the efficiency of toll operations, ensuring smoother and more comfortable journeys for all National Highway users.