If recurring KYCs was not enough, there’s now a KYV that you must go through if you happen to own a vehicle. Short for know your vehicle, this new process that is supposed to sanitise your
FASTag is the latest compliance burden to be thrust on Indians.
What was the need? Apparently, cases of misuse of FASTags — in some cases by truck drivers who were using tags meant for cars — convinced policy-makers that they needed a nationwide firewall to prevent a bunch of delinquents from misusing FASTags.
Also read | Toll payments: NHAI to raise awareness about Monthly and Annual Passes; sets up signage boards for commutersWhat is KYV?It was rolled out as a mandatory process, beginning Oct 31, 2024, that requires all FASTag users to submit images of their vehicle and registration certificate to verify that the tag is linked to the correct vehicle. A National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) initiative, KYV was notified by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). To prevent fraud. And if you thought this was a one-time process, you’re wrong. The verification must be repeated every three years so that the database stays always updated. Why? The possibility of misuse, and ingenious delinquents finding more ways to bend the system.
A govt official explained that instances had emerged of people keeping loose FASTags in their pockets or wallets, instead of fixing them on their vehicle windshields, “leading to misuse”. “In some cases, tags issued for cars were used on trucks to pay lower toll charges. KYV will put an end to such misuse,” said another official.
A source said since the main thrust of the FASTag rollout was to increase its usage so that toll collection became digitised, there may have been some laxity on the part of banks while issuing them. A KYV, said officials, will “help sanitise the system”.
“Ensuring a FASTag is assigned to and affixed on the correct category of vehicle, and that it remains active, is crucial as we prepare to roll out multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system of tolling in which vehicles will neither need to stop, nor slow down as there will be no physical barriers, said a road transport ministry official.
Govt aims to bring all national highways that have four or more lanes under MLFF tolling in the next 4-5 years. Therefore, according to officials, one vehicle, one tag is so important.
Asked why not detect and disable fraudulent tags or penalise those using multiple tags on the same vehicle, there were no clear answers.
The ProcessAccording to the circular issued by NPCI, all FASTags need to comply with KYV norms. The process mandates linking the FASTag to the unique Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) and chassis number. FASTag issuers, meanwhile, need to follow the one-vehicle-one tag mandate and replace all tags that are more than five years old.
So, anyone with a FASTag must upload their vehicle registration certificate (RC), take a picture of their vehicle from the front and upload that along with the FASTtag and vehicle registration number, besides a side image with the tag and vehicle axles. All these, mind you, must be clearly visible.
Issuers need to verify this with the VAHAN database, customer mobile number, and data entered by the point-of-sale agent. FASTags without a valid KYV will get automatically deactivated.
The PainWhile there is great conviction among decision-makers that KYV is the right way to go, there are unpleasant surprises galore that the process is throwing up for people, from being stopped at toll plazas and being told FASTag isn’t working because of “non-compliance with KYV”, to encountering an upload process that involves multiple rounds of clicking photos and sharing documents. Adding to frustrations is its propensity to get stuck — a backend that is simply not prepared to handle such a mammoth job — and sending harried users back to square one.
“I was told by a toll gate attendant that my FASTag isn’t working because KYV hasn’t been completed. So, I stopped and had to go through the entire process of taking photos and uploading documents from the toll plaza, just so I could drive on without a penalty despite having a legal and functional FASTag. Govt talks about ease of life, ease of travel, ease of business, etc. How is this ease of anything?” a Delhi resident who recently had to do a KYV at a toll plaza in NCR asked.
Having seen people struggle through this, govt officials have started telling banks they should not deactivate tags without calling up customers and informing them about the KYV norm. Sources said the issuer bank, not NPCI, is involved in backend processing of KYV documents.
A senior road transport ministry official admitted the process needs to be made easier for the people. Another official said that having a similar process across bank portals and a helpline to guide people could be useful.
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