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Maharashtra government moots exemption of cars from toll

In relief to vehicle owners, the state government is planning to exempt cars from toll.

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In relief to vehicle owners, the state government is planning to exempt cars from toll.

Sources said the proposal was discussed in chief minister Devendra Fadnavis' meeting with public works department (PWD) minister Chandrakantdada Patil, minister of state Pravin Pote-Patil and others on Wednesday. Fadnavis also held a review meeting with public works (public undertakings) minister Eknath Shinde and officials regarding the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

"We are planning to scrap toll for smaller vehicles like cars," a source told dna, adding that the road user charge would be levied only on commercial vehicles if the plan came through. The idea is being examined by the government. He added that the government plans to do this across Maharashtra and compensate toll operators for the loss of revenue. "However, there will be an obvious financial burden on the state exchequer," the source admitted. The state is also planning to come out with a new toll policy soon, he said.

"Gave directions to PWD and MSRDC to work out a plan which will give relief to the common man from tolls, in review meeting held today," Fadnavis tweeted.

The issue of non-transparency in toll contracts shot into public consciousness after the Raj Thackeray-led MNS agitated on it in 2012. Senior BJP leader and former union minister late Gopinath Munde had promised to make Maharashtra toll-free if the party was elected to power in the state. The promise had been spoken about by other BJP leaders too. But other voices like that of incumbent union surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari, who was seen as Munde's adversary in the BJP, had claimed that this would be difficult to implement economically.

However, in a seeming u-turn last month, Fadnavis had indicated that though the government wanted to do away with toll where it was imposed in an unjust manner, eradication of the levy on road users was not a stated promise in their manifesto. He admitted that shutting down major tolled projects was beset with stumbling blocks and legal hurdles.

The first tolled road in Maharashtra was the Jaisinghpur bypass in Kolhapur in the 1990s. Toll was later extended to roads like the Thane-Bhiwandi bypass and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The state presently has 131 toll booths, after many were shut down as a result of public outcry.

Incidentally, Fadnavis had admitted that in large toll projects there was no buy-back clause, and this posed a hurdle in cancelling such one-sided agreements.

Meanwhile, in the meeting with MSRDC officials, Fadnavis granted an in-principle nod to the much-delayed capacity augmentation of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the corporation was appointed as the special planning authority (SPA) for the development of the Pune ring road.

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