BJP

Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Mumbai Entry Point

toll waiver

Vive Velankar

Bombay High Court

The Maharashtra government’s decision to exempt small vehicles (cars), school buses and state transport buses from paying toll is going to cost the state government Rs 8,000 crore over the next 25 years. One of the major poll planks of the rulingwas to make Maharashtra toll free. Acting on its toll promise in May 2015, the state government announced closure of 12 toll plazas completely and exempted small vehicles from paying toll on 53 others.However, in case ofand, exceptions have been made and toll for even small vehicles was continued. According to data published by the state government on its website on Thursday, the state government will have to pay contractors Rs 8130 crore for exempting small vehicles, school buses and state transport buses from paying toll up to 2040. This means, its annual expenditure towardswill be Rs 325.20 crore.Out of this Rs.8130 crore, the state government will have to pay Rs.7377 crore to private contractors and rest to government owned corporation, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). Social activist, who has filed a PIL inon the issue of toll on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway said, “The state government’s announcement of toll waiver to small vehicle is an eye wash. Even though the toll has been waived, people are still going to have to pay from their own pocket because the contractors are getting compensated from the state government’s coffers, which are filled with people’s money.”