As part of its nationwide rollout of barrier-free highway tolling under the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) regime, the Central government is developing a separate category of FASTags for toll-exempt vehicles, Hindustan Times reported.
The proposed system is expected to seamlessly clear authorised users, including armed forces personnel and select government agencies, through automated toll corridors without deducting charges or erroneously flagging them for violations, addressing a critical operational hurdle in transitioning to completely digital, barrier-less national highways, the report said, citing two persons familiar with the matter.
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The government currently uses the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system, which uses AI, satellite-based tracking, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to collect tolls digitally from vehicles moving at high speeds without stopping at toll plazas.
However, the automated system can create problems for exempt vehicles like those used by the defence, paramilitary, and police. If these vehicles are not properly registered or recognised by the system, they may wrongly be charged toll or get e-challans, reported the HT.
To resolve this, the government may issue specially configured FASTags to exempt such vehicles, according to a source. For official military vehicles, the system may not require FASTag at all. It can identify special defence number plates and then delete their movement data immediately to protect national security.
To address the issue, the government is evaluating a dual-pronged approach, a source said. “The new system brings about challenges for toll treatment of private vehicles used for official purposes that are also in the exempted category. Either details of these vehicles can also be shared with MoRTH, or the ministry could issue special FASTags with infinite free movement,” former Defence and Road Transport Secretary Giridhar Aramane told HT.
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While the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI, and the Defense Ministry did not respond, Aramane said pilot projects have already integrated defence, police, and paramilitary vehicle databases with toll systems to ensure smooth, uninterrupted passage through automated tolling checkpoints.
Another alternative under consideration could involve using regular FASTags where toll payments are deducted upfront and subsequently reimbursed by the respective departments, Aramane added, quoted by HT.
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