Residents get waiver from paying Kamothe toll
Residents of Panvel, Pen and Kharghar have a got a waiver from paying toll at the Kamothe naka in Raigad district which is being charged for the Rs 1,223 crore Sion-Panvel Expressway.
The decision came through when agitated residents led by Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik and Congress MLA Prashant Thakur met the chief minister. Prithviraj Chavan took the decision to give waiver on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had asked government to tell City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to buy the project. CIDCO which has Rs 7,000 crore in its kitty opposed the move.
Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan confirmed the reports, saying “Yes, I have granted waiver to the local residents.” Toll management expert Sanjay Shirodkar said, “Criminal action against the government is the only reply to the government. There is no transparency. Why shouldn’t the PWD spend money on this project?”
The decision came through when agitated residents led by Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik and Congress MLA Prashant Thakur met the chief minister. Prithviraj Chavan took the decision to give waiver on Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had asked government to tell City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to buy the project. CIDCO which has Rs 7,000 crore in its kitty opposed the move.
The CM had appointed a committee under the chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya to study the issue. The report given to the CM two-weeks back said that the local residents must be exempted and that CIDCO must explore possibilities to develop aservice road with an exemption to MSRTC buses and maximum extension to concessionaire of the toll project by one-and- a-half years. The toll is supposed to be collected for 17-and-a-half years.
Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan confirmed the reports, saying “Yes, I have granted waiver to the local residents.” Toll management expert Sanjay Shirodkar said, “Criminal action against the government is the only reply to the government. There is no transparency. Why shouldn’t the PWD spend money on this project?”
