NEW DELHI: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday directed all banks issuing FASTags to undertake “immediate” validation of Vehicle Registration Numbers (VRNs) linked to the smart tags issued by them. The banks have been directed to blacklist FASTags that are found linked to incorrect or invalid VRNs.The decision follows receipt of complaints regarding cases where VRN captured by FASTag readers does not match with the registration number displayed on the vehicle’s number plate. “Such discrepancies have the potential to undermine enforcement mechanisms and may lead to evasion of govt revenue and also attract penal provisions under Motor Vehicles Act,” the highways authority said.It said that a considerable number of such mismatches are associated with FASTags issued prior to integration of tags with Vahan database. During that period, validation mechanisms were relatively limited and relied more on manual processes, leading to potential inconsistencies in vehicle identification records.The mapping of VRN with FASTag is important, especially in view of impending rollout of Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) or barrierless tolling. Under the MLFF framework, enforcement actions, including issuance of electronic notices (e-Notices) to non-compliant vehicles, will significantly depend on accurate and verified vehicle identification data.
