The Tourism Development Council Manali has authorized IDFC First Bank to collect the green tax through FASTag from motorists entering the city at toll stations.
The hill town in Himachal Pradesh is visited by about 50 lakh tourists every month.
The Tourism Development Council Manali and IDFC First Bank launched green tax payment using FASTag in the hill town on Thursday. It is the first time that the automatic toll system is used to pay green tax in the country.
It makes such payments cashless and convenient for motorists in Manali, IDFC First Bank said in a statement.
Until now, FASTag has been used for the payment of tolls, fuel and parking fees.
Currently, IDFC First Bank is the largest acquirer, serving more than 400 toll stations and issuing approximately 60 lakh FASTags. And the transactions by motorists using the bank’s tags average about 20 lakh per day.
B Madhivanan, chief operating officer of IDFC First Bank, said India is at a new frontier when it comes to the digitization of transit-related payments. He added that it will make payments easier and faster for motorists.
“We extended the benefits of RFID technology to fuel and parking payments with FASTag. We are excited to partner with the Manali Tourism Development Council to introduce FASTag for the first time for green tax payment, making it cashless,” he added.
Ashutosh Garg, deputy commissioner of Kullu, said the introduction of the FASTag green tax collection facility is an initiative of the district administration and TDC Manali, along with IHMCL, NPCI and IDFC First Bank.
It will enable seamless transactions, reduce the human interface and save time and encourage digital transactions, he said.
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