Maharashtra | Shinde govt waives Mumbai entry toll for light vehicles ahead of polls

With clock ticking for the announcement of Maharashtra Assembly polls, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday (October 14) announced that the Mumbai entry toll for light vehicles will be waived at all five toll plazas at the city’s entrances, effective from 12 am on Tuesday.

The decision, which is being seen as one of the moves aimed at wooing the electorate ahead of the elections, was reached in the Maharashtra state cabinet meeting on Monday.

Shinde, who represents Thane, has long maintained that the toll was unfair to his constituents who commute to Mumbai for work and were charged at the city's borders. He had even led several demonstrations against the toll.

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Will end long queues

Maharashtra Minister Dadaji Bhuse said, “Around 3.5 lakh vehicles travel through these toll plazas. Out of these, 2.8 lakh are light vehicles and the rest are heavy vehicles. The government had been planning to waive the toll of light vehicles for many months now. The long queues of vehicles will now end.”

The five toll plazas where this waiver will apply are located at Vashi, Airoli, Mulund (LBS Road), Mulund (Eastern Express Highway), and Dahisar. Earlier this year, the toll for light vehicles was raised to Rs 45, as part of a scheduled increase every three years.

The Rs 45 toll was being levied for 55 flyovers constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) during the Shiv Sena-BJP rule from 1995 to 1999. The MSRDC collected the toll at various checkpoints, including Mulund, Airoli, Dahisar, and Mankhurd.

Despite the MSRDC’s desire to continue the toll to recover costs for the new Thane Creek Bridge, the government has opted to discontinue it.

MNS campaign for toll removal

The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which had launched several protests and met with the chief minister to demand the toll's removal, contended that the costs had long since been recovered.

Also Read: Maharashtra: MVA releases 'panchnama' of 'traitor' Shinde govt

Kirit Somaiya, a former BJP MP who spearheaded numerous campaigns to eliminate the toll, said, “I welcome this daring decision for construction. The money was recovered long back.”

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is planning to construct an elevated road from Ghatkopar to Thane at a cost of Rs 2,682 crore, which will be subject to a toll. This new route will provide direct connectivity for Thane residents to the Eastern Freeway, facilitating travel to the island city.