The NHAI has ordered a major change in deployment of IT system and hardware at toll plazas for processing transactions through FASTag to make them hassle free for commuters. The highways authority will now only empanel players who have good experience, and they will have to mandatorily procure equipment from manufactures certified by Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification directorate of the ministry of electronics and IT.
The STQC certification will be mandatory for equipment, including RFID reader along with the antenna, automatic number plate reader, toll lane controller and toll plaza server, as per specifications issued by IHMCL, NHAI’s entity responsible for management of tolls.
According to the new specifications, the system integrators will have to give an undertaking to IHMCL that if any deviation are found at toll plazas designated to them because of equipment, the agency will have the right to immediately suspend the empanelment and forfeit the bank guarantee.
TOI, in a report titled ‘FASTag made highways cashless. Here’s why they aren’t jam-less’, had highlighted how commuters face hassle at toll gates even when their FASTags have enough balance due to glitches or inefficiency of hardware and system deployed at plazas that don’t read tags. Toll collectors asked commuters to take their vehicles back and forth or end up using hand-held devices to read the tag.
“We are taking a two-pronged approach to address issues people face due to technical reasons. First, people with experience can only get empanelled and the equipment has to be certified by the most credible govt agency. We are also going to deploy engineers at the regional offices of NHAI for better monitoring and resolution of issues,” said an official.
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