The Hindu Business Line : Maharashtra plans radio-frequency ID tags on commercial vehicles

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) plans to provide radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on all commercial vehicles crossing the 22 inter-State border check posts.

RFID is a method of remotely storing and retrieving data. The tag is a small object such as an adhesive sticker or a chip that can be attached to or incorporated into a product. RFID tags contain antennae to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency waves from a transceiver.

These tags will be given under the Rs 1,571-crore project for modernisation and integration of the check posts. It has been awarded to the joint venture of Sadbhav Engineering and SREI Infrastructure Finance. The project is expected to be operational in 18 months.

The land acquisition process is about 80 per cent complete for 17 check posts.

Sources in MSRDC told Business Line that the tags would be mandatory for all commercial vehicles passing through the check posts. It will be free the first time when mounted on the windshield while the replacement cost is Rs 500.

The staff at the check post will record information on the vehicle owner and nature of the cargo a computer system. The next time it approaches the check post, the installed RFID readers can read the tag from a distance of 30 feet. The staff will then prepare the toll, excise and sales tax invoice in real time. Once the driver pays the fee, he can clear the gate without any delay.

The MSRDC would detain the vehicle at the check post for only 75 seconds in the first barrier and 10 seconds in the second. If all papers are in order, it can exit the check post in less than three minutes. Plans are also underway to make e-way bills which will be connected to the RFID database. This will further speed up cargo movement.

Mr Dilip Chenoy, Director General of the Delhi-based Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, told Business Line that RFID tags were one of the technologies available to identify vehicles, “The challenge is to create a mechanism by which one can correlate the number plate with the goods on board and this is where RFID provides the solution,” he said.

He added that SIAM fully supports IT and intelligent transport systems. “Using these technologies, we should move from highways to e-highways” Mr Chenoy said.

Mr Chandrashekhar Murthy, Managing Director of Samvith Technologies, Ahmedabad, which implements RFID projects, said that fixing tags on the vehicles helps create a database for the Government.

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