CM Anandiben Patel made the announcement during the Van Mahotsav celebration at Nana Pondha village in Valsad.
Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel on Saturday announced that all light motor vehicles will be exempted from paying toll tax on state highways. The new rule will come into effect on August 15 and will cover toll plazas on 21 state highways and not on national highways.
The chief minister made the announcement during the Van Mahotsav celebration at Nana Pondha village in Valsad. While the state government is yet to come up with a detailed plan for the execution of the rule, minister for road and transport Nitin Patel said: "We will soon come up with details on the types of vehicles to be exempted, revenue adjustments, and other matters. The rule will surely come into effect from August 15."
The CM's announcement follows growing demand across the state. Eight months ago, people in Saurashtra and central Gujarat had put forth a demand for toll exemption, and, eventually, the government exempted toll tax on non-commercial vehicles plying on roads there.
The Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat was quick to grab the credit for the CM's latest decision, saying their agitation has prompted the decision. Sources in the government said: "This is a political decision ahead of the election year as the demand for toll exemption had been growing louder across the state."
Number track
28: state highways
8 roads: exempted from toll tax
20: toll plazas on state highways
Rs 5,000 cr/yr: total earnings through toll collection
Rs150 cr (20%): loss to be borne by govt after exemption
'Need transparency'
Transporters have welcomed the move but have sought transparency and rationalisation of toll tax and a proper plan for implementation of the new rule. "It is possible that the government will try to compensate for the loss incurred by exemption by levying more from commercial vehicles or extend toll collection by a few more years. The burden will then indirectly fall on citizens," said Hiten Vasant, former vice-president, All India Motor Transport Congress.
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