Published 16th October 2026
Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
https://in.linkedin.com/in/prashantnayakanti
The Intro
A FASTag experience at Delhi Airport caught my attention—not
only because of the concern raised, but because of what happened next.
A citizen question reached the system, NHAI & IHMCL responded quickly, and
the course was corrected.
The Trigger
The trigger for this Citizen Observation was user feedback
about FASTag at Delhi Airport's Terminal 3.
Reports indicated that vehicles were being diverted when they
did not meet certain FASTag-related entry conditions, raising concerns about
the limited free waiting period. The issue was raised publicly, including on
social media, and reached the authorities.
What caught my attention was not only the concern.
It was the response.
NHAI took cognisance.
IHMCL stepped in.
Directions were issued to discontinue FASTag-based entry restrictions.
And the restrictions were subsequently lifted.
That made me pause.
We often talk about convenience, automation and seamless
digital journeys.
But perhaps another dimension deserves equal attention:
How quickly does the system listen when a citizen says,
“Something doesn't feel right”?
For me, CO66 is therefore not about criticising FASTag.
It is about appreciating responsive regulation when a
citizen-facing digital experience needs correction.
The Prospective Audience
The Immediate User
The person driving into Delhi Airport T3 to pick up or drop
off a passenger—experiencing the payment system not as policy, but as a
real-world journey.
The FASTag User
Motorists who expect FASTag to make payments automatic,
contactless and predictable.
The Occasional Airport Visitor
Someone unfamiliar with the latest parking or FASTag
arrangements. For such users, clarity is part of convenience.
The Citizen Who Raises a Question
The person who notices something unusual, speaks up, posts
about it or brings it to the appropriate institution.
Sometimes the first signal that a digital process needs
examination comes from the person actually using it.
The Regulator
NHAI, IHMCL and similar institutions that sit between
technology, operators and citizens.
CO66 is also a small appreciation of an important regulatory
function:
Listening → Examining →
Responding → Correcting
The Payment Ecosystem
Banks, FASTag issuers, parking operators and technology
partners implementing digital payments on the ground.
A payment technology may be technically seamless, but the
citizen experience around it matters too.
The Airport & Mobility Ecosystem
Airports, parking operators, transport authorities and
mobility platforms integrating digital payments into physical movement.
When payment technology becomes part of a journey, the
boundaries between payment, access and convenience need to remain clear.
The Digital Public Infrastructure Community
Those building India's next generation of digital
infrastructure.
The broader design principle is simple:
Digital infrastructure should not only work. It should remain
understandable, predictable and responsive to the citizen.
And Finally — Every Citizen
Because this observation is bigger than FASTag.
It is about something we all want from the systems we use:
When we raise a genuine concern, will someone listen?
And when the answer is yes, perhaps we should say that too.
Thank you, NHAI & IHMCL, for the quick response.
Act I — When a Payment Journey Meets
a Physical Journey
A FASTag is designed to make a payment journey simple.
At Delhi Airport's Terminal 3, that digital journey meets a
very physical one.
A vehicle arrives.
The FASTag is read.
The vehicle moves forward.
A passenger is picked up.
And, where applicable, the parking fee can be collected digitally.
That sounds simple.
But recent user feedback around T3 raised another question:
What happens when the payment mechanism itself starts
influencing where a vehicle can enter or how the journey proceeds?
For a citizen, the distinction may be small on a screen—but
very real on the road.
That is where this observation began.
Act II — Payment Should Facilitate
the Journey
The issue was not whether FASTag should be used at an airport.
Using FASTag for parking payments can make the experience
contactless, convenient and cashless.
The question was about its purpose.
If FASTag is being used to collect a parking fee, the
relationship seems simple:
Vehicle enters → Parking
happens →
Applicable fee → Digital payment
But if FASTag status or balance becomes a condition for
entering a particular area, its role appears to move beyond payment.
That is where the regulatory response caught my attention.
NHAI took cognisance and clarified that FASTag should not be
used to enforce entry restrictions. IHMCL directed the concerned bank to
discontinue such restrictions.
For me, the principle is simple:
Payment should facilitate the journey—not silently redefine
the journey.
Act III — Thank You, NHAI &
IHMCL
This is the part of the story I want to acknowledge.
A citizen-facing issue emerged.
Users spoke about their experience.
The concern reached the authorities.
NHAI took cognisance.
IHMCL responded.
Directions were issued.
The FASTag-based entry restrictions at T3 were subsequently lifted.
That deserves recognition.
We often describe digital transformation through:
RFID.
FASTag.
Automation.
Cashless payments.
Real-time processing.
But another dimension matters just as much:
Responsiveness.
When something doesn't work as intended, can the citizen's
experience reach the institution?
And when it does, can the institution respond quickly?
For this episode, my answer is simply:
Thank you, NHAI & IHMCL, for the quick response.
Citizen Observation 66 of 777
Perhaps the most encouraging part of this episode is not that
a digital system encountered a question.
Digital systems will always evolve.
The more important observation is what happened after the
question was raised.
A citizen experience became visible.
The regulator examined the issue.
The intended role of FASTag was clarified.
Corrective action followed.
That makes me think:
A good digital ecosystem is not one where nothing ever goes
wrong. It is one where genuine concerns can be heard—and corrected.
FASTag can make a journey smoother.
Regulation can help keep the technology within its intended
purpose.
And citizens can contribute by observing, questioning and
sharing their experiences.
One observation at a time.
Closing Thought
There is something reassuring about seeing a digital system
corrected without losing sight of the citizen using it.
The technology can be sophisticated.
The infrastructure can be complex.
But the principle can remain simple:
**Make the payment easy.
Keep the journey clear.
Listen when the citizen speaks.**
And sometimes, a Citizen Observation does not end with a
demand.
Sometimes it ends with two words:
Thank you.
Thank you, NHAI & IHMCL, for the quick response.
April 11 — Digital Transactions Day
This FASTag episode gives me another reason to think about
April 11 — Digital Transactions Day.
The FASTag journey at the airport is completely digital:
FASTag → RFID reading → Vehicle
identification → Parking process → Digital
system
But there is an interesting distinction:
A digital journey does not necessarily mean a financial
transaction has happened.
A vehicle may enter.
FASTag may be read.
The system may recognise the vehicle.
The journey may continue.
And if the vehicle remains within the permitted free period,
there may be no parking fee to pay at all.
So:
The journey is digital.
The identification is digital.
The process is digital.
But the financial transaction may be NIL.
For me, that expands the meaning of digital transactions.
Perhaps Digital Transactions Day should not be understood only
as celebrating money moving digitally.
It can also recognise the increasingly digital journeys
through which citizens interact, authenticate, access, move and transact.
Please note, Digital Payments are also a sub-set of Digital
Transactions.
And that is one more reason I continue to advocate:
April 11 — Digital Transactions Day.
April 11, 2016 is UPI Beta Launch.
Additional Reading
- Indian
Express — NHAI tells banks not to allow FASTag to restrict entry at Delhi
Airport
- Indian
Express — FASTag at Delhi Airport: Can payment systems be used to restrict
entry?
- Times
of India — T3 parking operator used FASTag to restrict entry; payment
facility suspended
- Times
of India — NHAI warning prompts IGI T3 parking operator to lift FASTag
curbs
- IHMCL
— Official website and FASTag resources
Disclaimer
This Citizen Observation is an independent citizen perspective
based on publicly reported information and user feedback. It is not a complaint
against NHAI, IHMCL, Delhi Airport, any bank, parking operator or FASTag
participant.
The appreciation expressed here is specifically for the
reported regulatory response to the entry-restriction issue.
This post does not represent any official position of the
organisations mentioned.
FASTag arrangements, airport parking rules and regulatory
directions may change. Readers should refer to official sources for the latest
applicable position.
The Joy of Digital Transactions
Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)
Author’s Blogs
https://prashantrandomthoughts.blogspot.com
https://prashantnepayments.blogspot.com
https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com
