With effect from midnight tonight, the Maharashtra state government will stop collecting the toll at Mumbai’s entrance, a decision that is largely believed to have political motivations. This only applies to vehicles and SUVs.
The decision was reached on Monday morning during a cabinet meeting by Thane-born Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Shinde, who represents Thane in the legislative assembly, had earlier organised multiple protests against the toll.
55 flyovers built by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) between 1995 and 1999, when the Shiv Sena-BJP government was in power, were subject to a ₹45 toll. At several checkpoints, including Mulund, Airoli, Dahisar, and Mankhurd, the MSRDC collected the toll.
The government has decided to abolish the toll, even though the MSRDC would like to keep it in place to finance the costs of the new Thane Creek Bridge. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena contended that the expenses had long since been reimbursed, despite having staged multiple protests and met with the chief minister to demand the abolition of the toll.
Jayant Mhaiskar, the owner of Mumbai Entry Point, where the toll was most recently collected, was not available for comment.
Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who led multiple campaigns to remove the toll, said: “I applaud this audacious choice for building. The funds were retrieved a long time ago.”
Representing Thane, Shinde has long argued that the toll was unjust to his residents who had to travel to Mumbai for business and were assessed fees at the city’s edge.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region intends to build a toll-collectable elevated road from Ghatkopar to Thane at a cost of ₹2,682 crore. Travel to the island city will be made easier for Thane residents thanks to this new route, which will connect them directly to the Eastern Freeway.
