The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has instructed all FASTag issuer banks to promptly validate Vehicle Registration Numbers (VRNs) associated with the issued FASTags. This directive comes in response to complaints about mismatches between the VRNs captured by FASTag readers and the actual registration numbers on vehicle plates. Such discrepancies could compromise enforcement mechanisms, potentially leading to revenue evasion and violations of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways highlighted the importance of accurate VRN mapping with FASTags to maintain the integrity of the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system. NHAI aims to enhance data accuracy and reliability while emphasizing transparency, compliance, and operational efficiency within the Electronic Toll Collection system. Ensuring the correctness of VRN mapping is crucial, especially with upcoming technology-driven initiatives like Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling.
Under the MLFF framework, enforcement actions, including the issuance of electronic notices to non-compliant vehicles, will heavily rely on precise and verified vehicle identification data. NHAI noted that many mismatches are linked to FASTags issued before integration with the VAHAN database, where validation processes were limited, potentially resulting in inconsistencies in vehicle identification records. Consequently, all FASTag issuer banks have been directed to urgently verify issued FASTags and blacklist those associated with incorrect or invalid VRNs following government guidelines.
