INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Manali tourism body has authorised IDFC First Bank to collect green tax via FASTagThe Tourism Development Council Manali has authorised IDFC
First Bank to collect the green tax by way of FASTag from motorists entering the city at toll plazas.The hill city in Himachal Pradesh is
visited by around 50 lakh tourists every month.The Tourism Development Council Manali and IDFC First Bank on Thursday launched the payment
of green tax using FASTag in the hill city
It is for the first time the automatic toll collection system will be used to pay green tax in the country.It will make such payments
cashless and convenient for motorists in Manali, IDFC First Bank said in a statement.So far, FASTag is being used for payment of toll, fuel
and parking charges.Currently, IDFC First Bank is the largest acquirer, servicing over 400 toll plazas, and has issued about 60 lakh FASTags
And, the transactions by motorists using the bank's tags average about 20 lakh a day.B Madhivanan, chief operating officer of IDFC First
Bank, said India is at a new frontier when it comes to the digitisation of transit-related payments He added that it will make payments
We are pleased to partner with the Tourism Development Council Manali to introduce FASTag for the first time for payment of green tax,
making it cashless," he added.Kullu Deputy Commissioner Ashutosh Garg said the introduction of the FASTag facility for green tax collection
is an initiative of the district administration and TDC Manali along with IHMCL, NPCI and IDFC First Bank.It will facilitate seamless
transactions, reduce human interface and save time as well as encourage digital transactions, he said.(Except for the headline, this story
has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
