The opposition has admitted to the existence of massive corruption at highway toll posts across the state, particularly in the Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts. Devendra Phadnavis, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Nagpur, stated that the state was being cheated of Rs5,000 crore. The subject came up in response to a written question.

Toll is collected on key roads in these three districts by private operators, who in many instances come under the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), a state public sector undertaking.

Eknath Khadse , opposition leader in Vidhan Sabha, said the corruption level could also mean a loss of Rs10,000 crore to the state. He said the government should set up an inquiry panel, which included opposition members, to look into how much money was collected daily, and how much actually was deposited into the exchequer.

PWD (public undertakings) minister Jaydutt Kshirsagar insisted that there was no fraud or underreporting of receipts. He said the issue of toll charges was being heard in courts, and hence the government will not comment on it.

The opposition then demanded a statement from chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was present in the house, but speaker Dilip Walse-Patil did not allow that. This led to noisy protests, and the speaker adjourned the assembly. When it reassembled later, question hour was over.

In the council, Shiv Sena member Dilip Raote said many tolls were overcharging, and no track was being kept of the number of receipts issued daily. “These days, anyone on the highway sets up bamboo poles with a tent over it, and charges passing vehicles. This needs to be checked,” he said.

What’s worse, he said, contractors found guilty of this crime were soon back at the same posts, and no action was taken against them. He pointed out that the state had a huge debt of Rs2.5 lakh crore. Urging computerised collections, he said toll collections could help wipe out the debt.