Punjab toll plaza charges man who's at home ₹220
What's the story
A man in Punjab was left baffled after he was charged ₹220 at a toll plaza while he was at home. The man, identified as Sunderdeep Singh, took to social media to share his experience, claiming that he hadn't even traveled on the route where the charge was levied this month. Singh posted a screenshot of the transaction on X, showing that the toll charge was deducted from his FASTag account at Ladowal Toll Plaza in Punjab.
Details
Singh shared a screenshot of the transaction on social media
The deduction was made on August 14 at 2:00pm, leaving a balance of ₹790 in his account. "Money is deducted when I am chilling at home. What's going on?" he wrote in his post. FASTag swiftly responded to Singh's post, advising him to contact the customer service desk of the issuing bank to report the incorrect deduction. "They will review your complaint and raise a chargeback for the incorrectly deducted fare based on its merit. Thank you," the company wrote.
NHAI
Other users shared similar experiences
Last month, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) issued new guidelines to enforce the proper affixation of FASTag on a vehicle's front windshield from the inside. Vehicles that fail to comply with these guidelines will be charged double the toll fees at toll plazas nationwide. The NHAI stated, "This initiative of charging double user fees for non-affixation of FASTag will help to make toll operations more efficient and ensure a seamless and comfortable journey for national highway users."
FASTag
What is FASTag
FASTag, an electronic toll collection system, has been mandatory for paying toll fees on national highways since February 2021. The system currently has a penetration rate of around 98%, with over 8 crore users. As of March 2024, more than 98% of user fee payments were made at toll plazas using FASTag. Toll fees are collected across approximately 45,000 km of national highways and expressways at around 1,000 toll plazas nationwide.