Mumbai-Pune Highway: Somatane toll plaza FASTag system glitch annoys vehicle owners due to traffic congestion

Mrunal Jadhav

Talegaon, January 11, 2021: At the Somatane Toll Plaza on the Mumbai-Pune Highway, due to technical difficulties in the FASTag system and lack of planning, vehicle owners have to face difficulty paying tolls. Maval and outsiders have to stand in line due to traffic congestion.

The Union Ministry of Road Development and Transport has extended the deadline for FASTag from 1 January to 26 January. However several rehearsals happened, yet, the fast-moving system is not in place at Somatane toll plaza. As a result, long queues of vehicles are seen every day. The FASTag card has the balance but the money is not deducted from the system, therefore the vehicle owners have to wait for hours.

MLA Sunil Shelke, who was travelling from Dehu Road towards Talegaon in his vehicle, also had to stop due to traffic jam. Eventually, he turned the vehicle in the opposite direction, got down at the toll plaza, opened the barrier gate with his own hands and left. As his video went viral on social media, the issue of Somatane toll plaza has once again come to limelight.