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Barrier-Less FASTag Tolls : Good Start, Shri Gadkariji — but I said
IMMOBILIZE in 2016 !
First, the news :
On 1 May 2026, Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari launched India's first Multi-
Lane Free Flow (MLFF) Barrier-Less Tolling System at the Chorayasi Toll
Plaza on NH-48 in Gujarat. Over 41,500 vehicles crossed on Day 1 alone.
The system uses ANPR cameras + FASTag RFID mounted on overhead
gantries. Vehicles are identified at full highway speed — no stopping, no queues.
If your FASTag balance is insufficient, you get an e-Notice to pay within 72
hours. Fail that, and you pay double the toll. Persistent non-payment leads
to suspension of FASTag services through the VAHAN platform.
[ Source : Times of India — Not paying toll through FASTag at barrier-less plazas will lead to suspension of services till dues cleared ]
My reaction to this excellent development ?
Shri Gadkariji, welcome to my 2016 suggestion — one decade later !
What I had proposed — back in August 2016 :
On 22 August 2016 — nearly 10 years ago — when Shri Gadkari introduced a bill
to fine drivers for honking, I wrote :
>> HORN OK ? [ 22 Aug 2016 ]
In that post I proposed that instead of policemen arguing on the road about who honked, each vehicle should be embedded with an RFID-based SCADA chip that would :
✔ Flash the car number of the offending vehicle on the nearest policeman's mobile phone
✔ Instantly and automatically deduct the penalty through a Mobile Wallet embedded in the chip
✔ Track traffic density, emission levels, accident vehicles — all in real time
And most importantly — I proposed that the SCADA chip enable authorities to :
" INSTANTLY and AUTOMATICALLY IMMOBILIZE any vehicle " — without any human intervention or discretion — for a wide range of violations.
Then in November 2016 :
When Maharashtra announced the e-Challan escalated penalty system, I wrote :
>> A Step in the Right Direction [ 20 Nov 2016 ]
... noting that the government was moving towards the right idea, but had not yet taken the critical step of automatic remote immobilization of offending vehicles.
And in March 2017 :
When Maharashtra's Transport Minister Shri Diwakar Raote proposed alcohol sensors to automatically stop drunk drivers, I wrote :
>> Shri Raoteji has a Vision [ 23 Mar 2017 ]
I extended Shri Raoteji's vision to a comprehensive list of violations that should trigger instant, automatic, remote immobilization — no policeman needed, no argument possible :
🔴 Honking / jumping red lights / obstructing traffic
🔴 Wrong lane / wrong-way driving / speed violations
🔴 No-parking violations / double parking on footpaths
🔴 Causing accidents ( beyond a threshold )
🔴 Exceeding pollution limits
🔴 Driving without valid license / by under-aged persons
🔴 Expired registration / unpaid road tax
🔴 Outstanding toll dues — unpaid [ which is exactly what Gadkariji is now doing via VAHAN ! ]
So what is the pattern ?
The 1 May 2026 MLFF launch is a genuinely impressive step forward. Barrier-less tolling at full highway speed, ANPR cameras reading number plates, e-Notices within 72 hours, suspension of VAHAN services for non-payers — this is exactly the digital enforcement infrastructure I had conceptualized in 2016.
The Government has now connected two dots :
Dot 1 : Identify the vehicle automatically ( ANPR + FASTag )
Dot 2 : Penalize the owner automatically ( e-Notice + suspension of services )
The third dot — which I had proposed in 2016 — is still missing :
Dot 3 : IMMOBILIZE the vehicle automatically — remotely, instantly, without human intervention — the moment the 72-hour e-Notice deadline is crossed.
No need to chase the vehicle. No need for a policeman to stop it. The engine simply stops at the next traffic signal. Or refuses to start the next morning.
The technology exists today. Modern vehicles already have remote engine-cut capabilities built in ( used by banks to immobilize financed vehicles on loan default ). It just needs to be connected to the VAHAN / FASTag / NHAI enforcement backend.
The full vision — from 2016 to 2026 and beyond :
| Step | What it does | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Identify | ANPR + FASTag reads vehicle at full speed | ✔ Done — May 2026 |
| 2. Charge | Toll auto-deducted from FASTag linked account | ✔ Done — May 2026 |
| 3. Notice | e-Notice issued if FASTag balance insufficient | ✔ Done — May 2026 |
| 4. Penalize | Double toll after 72-hour deadline | ✔ Done — May 2026 |
| 5. Suspend | VAHAN services suspended for persistent non-payer | ⚡ Announced — implementation awaited |
| 6. IMMOBILIZE | Remote engine-cut for vehicles ignoring all notices | ✗ My 2016 proposal — still pending ! |
Shri Gadkariji has reached Step 5. I proposed all 6 steps in 2016.
We are getting there. One step at a time. About 10 years per step.
At this rate, Step 6 should arrive by 2034 or so.
I hope to be around to see it — I will be 101 !
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
08 May 2026
hcp@RecruitGuru.com / www.hemenparekh.ai
PS : Chat with my Digital Avatar at www.hemenparekh.ai
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