Fastags to Get Mandatory In India From January 2021

Recently, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has announced that the Fastag will get mandatory on vehicles that were sold before 1st December 2017 in India. All the vehicles retailed after December 2017 are already fitted with Fastag by the automaker. Tolls around India will become 100 per cent electronic after 1st December 2021, and vehicles that do not have Fastag will not able to use the toll road.

The government has made the amendments in the Central Motor Vehicle Rule 1989, which says Fastag has been made mandatory and must be fixed on the windshields of four-wheelers or M&N category vehicles by 1st January 2021. The M&N category vehicles are four-wheelers, which carries passengers or goods. 

In an official press release, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said, “As per Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, since 1st December 2017, the Fastag had been made mandatory for all registration of new four-wheeled Vehicles and is being supplied by the Vehicle Manufacturer or their dealers. It had further been mandated that the renewal of fitness certificate will be done only after the fitment of Fastag for the Transport Vehicles. Further that for National Permit Vehicles the fitment of Fastag has been mandated since 1st October 2019. It has been further mandated that a valid Fastag is mandatory while getting a new Third Party Insurance through an amendment in FORM 51 (certificate of Insurance), wherein the details of Fastag ID shall be captured. This shall be applicable w.e.f. 1 April 2021.”  

Fastag has also been made mandatory for the new third party insurance, which will come into effect from 1st April 2021. And same is the case with a fitness certificate. Only cars with Fastag will get fitness certificate renewed. The main motive of the government is to make the toll fees across the country cashless. One can avail a Fastag via several channels like car dealerships, banks, online and even toll plazas.