Pay no toll at 65 booths, 4 in Vidarbha, from June 1

MUMBAI: The state government on Friday announced waiver of road toll for cars and state transport buses at 65 plazas – including four from Vidarbha – from the midnight of May 31. Continued toll collection on existing roads and new booths cropping up have been a contentious issue, with citizens, and some political parties, strongly opposed to it.
The toll waiver would save Rs 138 crore for MSRTC annually that will help it in modernization programme.
The new relief includes plazas on Nagpur-Katol-Jalalkheda and Jam-Warora roads. The government also asked operators to stop collecting surcharge for Integrated Road Development Project (IRDP) on roads leading from Nagpur to Katol, Umred, and Hingna, from Hingna to Amravati and at Wadi Junction.
Of these, 27 are under PWD while 26 are operated by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the move was in tune with the BJP-Shiv Sena government’s policy of doing away with all toll booths in the state. “Major relief to people of Maharashtra as we have kept our promise by announcing in assembly that 12 toll plazas will be closed from midnight of May 31, 2015,” he tweeted.
Fadnavis said the government had declared its toll policy but needed time to fine-tune it. “We will ensure toll operators do not go to court and obtain a stay on the revocation of toll. If, however, they do approach the courts we shall fight it out,” he said.
He said among plazas which would face closure from May 31 midnight include 11 operated by public works department and one out of 53 booths of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
Experts say in Nagpur and surrounding areas, the citizens would be able to save Rs 50 to Rs 100 particularly on road leading to Katol, as many commuters visit Adasa temple from the city. Moreover, those going to Chandrapur from the city would also get benefit.
Vidarbha Taxpayers Association president J P Sharma said that the booths where toll has been abolished, had either completed their time period or was about to end in two to three months. The booths which have been closed down are the ones where money spent on 40 km, 50 km or of 60 km was being recovered. “This I feel is of no use. The booths on the busy highways on the other hand charge heavy taxes and these are the ones which should be cancelled,” he said.
Transporter Mahendra Luley said that the general public was quite troubled by these taxes and it was a good thing that Devendra Fadnavis took this stand and closed them down. “I support this decision as there was no transparency before this. In 2011 there was a notification about reduction of tolls. I feel now that every amount collected at booths should now directly be informed to the government to make it transparent. A car pays say about 20 for a road tax a truck will pay 10 times more than that and a bus will pay more than a truck.”
On demand for closing toll booths in Kolhapur, for which big agitation was staged by the local residents, the CM said his government had constituted a panel under PWD minister Chandrakant Patil to study the viability and was asked to submit its report before May 31. The agitation, allegedly staged by Shiv Sena activists against toll collection on nine roads connecting Kolhapur, turned violent in January last year with four booths being burnt.
Fadnavis also announced a panel under upper secretary to study financial and legal viability of shutting toll plazas at various entry points in Mumbai and also on express highway connecting Mumbai and Pune. “The panel was told to submit report before July end,” he said, amidst thumping of desk by the treasury benches.
1) Toll booths closed from May 31 midnight:
* Chandrapur: Tadali
* Buldhana: Khamgaon turning near Ravantekdi
Toll plazas in Vidarbha where cars, LMVs and MSRTC buses will be exempt from toll:
* Nagpur-Katol-Jalalkheda road
* Malkapur-Buldhana-Chikhli Road
* Jam-Warora road
* Warora-Chandrapur-Bramhani Road
* Nagpur IRDP: Nagpur-Katol, Nagpur-Umred, Nagpur-Hingna, Hingna-Amravati & Wadi Junction
State scenario
*11 out of 38 toll booths belonging to Public Works Department and one out of 53 toll booths of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation will be closed from May 31 midnight
*Another 27 toll booths on 19 PWD roads and 26 toll booths on 12 MSRDC roads will offer total toll waiver to cars, jeeps (LMVs) and buses
* A committee headed by additional chief secretary (PWD) has been set up to check if Mumbai Entry Point’s six toll booths on the fringes of Mumbai and the Mumbai-Pune expressway toll booth can offer any toll waiver to private cars.