Failed activation takes toll on FASTag users in Karnal
Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, December 17
With the implementation of the mandatory FASTag mechanism, commuters have started approaching the Bastara toll plaza authorities with complaints related to failed activation of tags and deduction of higher amount from their FASTag wallets.
Most of the commuters, who have purchased FASTags from banks or e-commerce sites, are facing the problem of their tags not being activated.
When a team of The Tribune visited the toll plaza, it found that most of the commuters were complaining of non-activated FASTags. As a result, they were paying toll in cash after wait in long queues for 15 to 20 minutes.
“I purchased the tag from Paytm. When I reached the toll plaza here on Tuesday, an employee told me that it has not been activated. So, I had to pay cash,” said Sumit Chaudhary, a commuter.
Another problem is the deduction of higher amount from their FASTag wallets. Some of the commuters are not charged concessional rates for a return journey within 24 hours.
“When I crossed the Bastara toll plaza, Rs125 was deducted from my FASTag wallet. On my return within 24 hours, the same amount was deducted. The toll for journeys completed within 24 hours is only Rs60,” said Deepak Kumar, a city resident.
Due to technical snags, some commuters paid toll twice — one in cash and the other online. A commuter faced such a problem at the Panipat toll plaza.
“On Monday, I tried to pay toll via FASTag at the Panipat toll plaza. But the display screen ‘card blacklist’. The toll plaza tried to check balance in my SBI’s FASTag wallet, but couldn’t as the server was down. I had Rs1,010 in my wallet. I had no option but to pay Rs30 as toll in cash. Later, I checked the balance in my FASTag wallet and was shocked to find that Rs30 was deducted from it. I have filed a complaint with the SBI,” said Som Sachdeva, a resident of Karnal.
Manish Kumar, in-charge of the Bastara toll, admitted that commuters had been facing problems. “Most of the tags purchased from banks or online sites are not activated. Commuters should get the tags activated at the time of purchasing them,” he said.
He said that about 40 per cent of vehicles crossing the Bastara toll plaza had switched to the FASTags. “The number of cash lanes has been increased so that commuters don’t face any problem.”
He said if commuters faced technical problems related to FASTags, they could file complaints at 1033.
Teething trouble in Hisar
Hisar: There seems to be no end to the woes of commuters at toll. Commuters have complained that the toll plaza authorities in Mayyar and Agroha have not put up signboards indicating cash lanes and FASTag lanes. Pankaj, a commuter, said the Centre introduced FASTag without planning. “Still, there are a large number of vehicle owners who have not purchased FASTags. Online orders for the tags are not being delivered on time. I had applied for FASTag last week, but haven’t received it yet,” he said. This is not the only problem. Representatives of private agencies are charging more the tags. The Centre has said FASTag is free of cost. But the agencies are charging Rs100 for it.
— Deepender Deswal
