Come January 1, no cash payments at toll plazas in Tamil Nadu

From January 1, toll plazas run by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Tamil Nadu will not have cash payment lanes.

Around 7 lakh vehicles (this is only the number of vehicles that pay the toll fee) cross the 46 plazas in Tamil Nadu daily.

Motorists on vehicles without radio frequency-controlled FASTag cards, which enable electronic payments, will be told to buy the tags, charged double the amount and then allowed to pass.

Presently, lanes at the extreme end of the plazas are specifically for vehicles making payments by cash. These will now be removed, and all lanes will only permit FASTag-enabled vehicles to pass. However, not all vehicles have FASTags as its coverage in Tamil Nadu hovers around 71%.

Kumaraswamy, a member of the Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners’ Association, said the move would cause problems, including traffic jams, at the plazas. “We are raising the issue at the national level,” he said.

‘Unfair move’

Motorists said the option to pay cash should not be removed. Charging double from those who don’t have FASTags will be unfair, said Kannan Bhaktavatsalam, who makes frequent road trips around the State.

“It is being implemented across India and not just in Tamil Nadu. FASTags were first introduced in Tamil Nadu in 2015, on the Chennai-Bangalore Highway, and since have been expanded to all the 480-odd lanes in our plazas. Internet connectivity has improved and recharging of cards takes less than a minute,” said an NHAI official.