Travelling to this forest with your car? You can pay entry fee using your Fastag

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, which is spread across the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to allow visitors who come with their cars to pay the entry fee using the Fastag. ANI has reported that NHAI's subsidiary Indian Highways Management Company, has inked an agreement with the tiger reserve authority to launch this service for the visitors.

The agreement signed between the two parties is claimed to pave the way to facilitate a seamless and efficient entry process for vehicles entering the forest area, said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The report claims that this initiative will provide a Fastag-based payment system at forest entry points and will extend the benefit of a collection of Ecosystem Management Coordination (EMC) fees via FASTag at various entrance points of the tiger reserve.

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has further stated that by enabling FASTag-based payments at forest entry points, visitors can avoid long queues and delays, allowing them to savour the natural beauty and wildlife of these areas without any hassles. The report further claims that this partnership between IHMCL of NHAI and the forest department comes as a significant step towards promoting sustainable tourism and preserving natural resources by curbing vehicular emissions at the forest entry points.

Fastag has become mandatory for all vehicles across India over the last few years. This system comes employing a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that enables automatic toll payments at the toll plazas, using the affixed Fastag on all four-wheelers and heavier vehicles. The technology is claimed to have made the toll-collection process more transparent than before and seamless. Also, it claims to have reduced the traffic congestion at the toll plazas.