As part of its poll promise to make Maharashtra a toll-free State, the BJP-led saffron alliance Government on Friday announced that it would close down 12 toll plazas in the State and exempt private light Motor Vehicles and State transport buses from levy of tax at 53 plazas across the State from June 1.
The twin initiative, which will come into force from the midnight of May 31, provides a considerable relief to lakhs of private light Motor Vehicle (lMV) owners and users outside Mumbai metropolitan region. However, the levy of toll at five entry and exit points in Mumbai and on Mumbai—Pune Expressway will continue till a high level committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary (public works) submits its report to the Maharashtra Government on July 31.
Making an announcement about the closure of 12 toll plaza and granting exemption to private lMVs at 53 toll plazas, Maharashtra Chief Minister Defendra Fadnavis said that of the total plazas to be closed, 11 were on the roads built by the State-run Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), while the remaining one was on a road developed by the State Public Works Department (PWD).
Of the 53 toll plazas, where lMVs and State transport buses will be exempted, 27 belong to PWD, while 26 are of MSRDC.
Both the BJP and Shiv Sena, which had contested the October 2014 polls on their respective strengths, had promised a “toll-free” Maharashtra if they were elected to power.
There were earlier as many as 168 toll plazas in the State. Following protests by the Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray-led MNS, the previous Congress-led DF Government had closed down 44 of the 168 toll plazas.
Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had also announced that his Government would come out with a new toll tax policy exempting lMVs before the enforcement of a model code of conduct for the forthcoming lok Sabha polls held in April-May last year. However, the DF Government did not keep its promise.
Ever since it came to power in the State in November last year, the BJP-led saffron alliance Government has been under immense pressure from various quarters, including the ruling Shiv Sena, to scrap the toll tax in the State.
So much so that in its effort to blunt the Opposition’s criticism that his government was a “U-turn regime”, Chief Minister Fadnavis had – on the occasion of the Government completing 100 days in office in February this year -- bought some more time to implement its key poll promise of ushering in “toll-free Maharashtra” by saying that it was more of a concept and than an election promise of the BJP.