FASTag: Delhi HC Seeks Response on Plea Asking Banks to Pay Curiosity on Collected MoneyPublished 1 day in the past

The Delhi Excessive Courtroom has sought response of the NHAI and the Centre on a plea looking for to direct banks to pay curiosity to the authorities on the cash collected by them with the problem of FASTag and minimal stability requirement on the cardboard.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notices to the Nationwide Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Street Transport and Highways (MoRT&H) on an software which pleads that with the issuing of FASTag, hundreds of crores of rupees have entered the banking system with none corresponding profit both to the commuter group or to NHAI or MoRT&H.

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The court docket granted 4 weeks time to the authorities to file their replies to the appliance and listed the matter for additional listening to on August 10.

The appliance was filed in a pending petition that challenges a rule which compels autos with out FASTag to pay double the toll tax. The petition contended that the rule was discriminatory, arbitrary, and in opposition to public curiosity because it empowers the NHAI to gather toll at double the speed, if paid in money.

Petitioner Ravinder Tyagi, represented by advocate Praveen Agrawal, stated within the software {that a} sum of greater than Rs 30,000 crore has entered the banking system with introduction of FASTag facility.

The plea contended even when the Mounted Deposit fee of 8.25 per cent every year is utilized to this determine, yearly NHAI or MoRT&H will acquire over Rs 2,000 crore.

“At current this cash is being utilised by the banks / monetary Establishments freed from price and at the price of the respondents (NHAI and MoRT&H). The curiosity of this cash belongs to both the NHAI / MoRTH or commuters and deserves to be spent within the additional growth of street / highways / commuters advantages,” it stated.

The appliance additionally sought to direct the authorities to create a separate fund within the identify of ‘Commuters Welfare Fund’ from the earnings acquired from curiosity of FASTag.

FASTag is a tool that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) expertise for making toll funds straight whereas the automobile is in movement. FASTag is affixed on the windscreen of the automobile and allows a buyer to make the toll funds straight from the account which is linked to it.

The excessive court docket had earlier issued a discover and sought response of the Centre and NHAI on the principle petition which sought quashing of a provision of the Nationwide Freeway Charges (Dedication of Charges and Assortment) Modification Guidelines, 2020 as a result of which commuters with no FASTag on their autos are certain to pay double the toll tax.

The plea stated these guidelines and the round convert all toll lanes to 100 per cent FASTag lanes with the consequence that commuters with no purposeful FASTag are compelled to pay double the toll quantity.

The petitioner, a lawyer, claimed he was compelled to put in a FASTag gadget in his automotive due to the compulsion of paying double the toll in money.

He stated earlier than putting in the FASTag he used to pay double toll.

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – PTI)