FASTag service likely to be functional on Yamuna Expressway from April 1

Noida: In a bid to make journey swift and hassle-free at the 165-km long Yamuna Expressway, a tripartite agreement has been signed between Jaypee Infratech Limited (JIL), Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) and IDBI Bank for installation of FASTag along the e-way.

YEIDA officials said that the FASTag service is likely to be functional on Yamuna

Expressway from April 1 and there will be four FASTag lanes, two on either side of the three toll plazas — Jewar, Mathura and Agra.

As per the signed agreement, the IDBI bank will be the acquiring bank and shall manage toll collection and related processes for the toll plazas of the projects for a period of seven years. Earlier, this service was to be started from 15th February, but the Jaypee Infratech did not agree for it, but after pressure from YEIDA, an agreement was signed for the same, the agreement read.

The IDBI bank shall ensure management of FASTag transactions electronically and the toll collection will be credited on daily basis into JIL account. YEIDA has mandated JIL for implementation of NETC programme across all the three toll plazas of the expressway.

Apart from this, the work for the installation of crash barriers is also in progress keeping in mind the rise in road accidents and fatalities at the expressway. For this, an agreement has already been signed between YEIDA and private bank while the operator has also been awarded a Rs 108 crore for the crash barriers.

In 2018, the Supreme Court took cognisance of the report submitted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi which highlighted the installation of crash barriers as one of the key measures for commuter safety. The report was followed by a safety audit conducted by IIT in the view of recurring road accidents at the Yamuna Expressway which has claimed several lives in past years.