Mumbai entry toll waiver announced by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

15 Oct 2024 CW Team

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that toll charges for light motor vehicles at Mumbai's five entry points will be waived starting from midnight. The toll nakas, managed by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRDC), were operated under a contract with a private firm until 2026.

The toll collection contract, valued at Rs 22.42 billion, was awarded to MEP Infrastructure Pvt Ltd for five entry points—Mulund, Dahisar, and Mankhurd—primarily to finance the construction of 31 flyovers and bridges in Mumbai.

RTI activist Anil Galgali revealed that MSRDC initially collected tolls on its own before awarding the contract to MEP Infrastructure in 2010. MSRDC reported spending Rs 10.58 billion on flyover construction and Rs 1.19 billion on road and bridge maintenance between 1999 and 2016, intending to recover these costs through toll collection at the city’s entry points.

In August 2023, Aaditya Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) demanded the removal of tolls on the Western and Eastern Express Highways (WEH and EEH), citing their handover from MSRDC to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Thackeray argued that with BMC now responsible for highway maintenance, tolls were no longer justified.

Galgali also called for an audit of MEP Infrastructure’s toll collection from 2016 to 2023, raising concerns about excess profits made by the private contractor. "Some flyovers built before 2000 with state funds continue to generate toll revenue. The audit is necessary to assess how much toll money has been collected so far," Galgali said.

The waiver marks a significant policy shift, addressing longstanding public demands and potentially impacting toll management practices in the region.

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