Maharashtra Government's Key Decision: No Toll for Vehicles Traveling to Mumbai

In a significant move ahead of the assembly elections, the Maharashtra government has decided to waive toll fees for light motor vehicles at five toll booths leading to Mumbai. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made this announcement on Monday during a cabinet meeting.

The toll exemption will take effect from midnight today. It is noteworthy that this decision comes ahead of the scheduled assembly elections at the end of this year. The government has issued orders to remove toll fees for light motor vehicles at five specific toll gates entering Mumbai.

The toll booths affected are Dahisar, Mulund, Airoli, Thane, and Vashi, allowing light motor vehicle drivers to enter Mumbai without paying the toll fee. Currently, a toll fee of Rs 45 is charged at these points. This decision is expected to benefit residents traveling from other cities and regions in Maharashtra to Mumbai. Light motor vehicles include cars and SUVs, but the waiver does not apply to buses, trucks, or larger vehicles. Over 600,000 vehicles travel to Mumbai daily, with approximately 80% being light motor vehicles.

Additionally, under the leadership of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has constructed 55 flyovers in Mumbai. Toll booths were initially established to recover the costs associated with these constructions. The tenders for the toll booths were issued in 1999, and the five toll booths were opened in 2002, collecting fees from vehicles entering Mumbai.

However, the revenue management from these tolls had already been recovered over ten years ago. Despite this, the government continued to collect toll fees, extending the toll tax recovery period for an additional three years until 2027, projecting revenue of Rs 11,000 crores. Some leaders from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Shiv Sena have been demanding a complete waiver of tolls at all Mumbai booths, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray also calling for toll exemptions at all entry points into Mumbai.