Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday announced that the state government had scrapped charging toll at 12 toll plazas in the state, and from May 31, 2015, exemption would be given to light motor vehicles, cars, jeeps and state transport buses at 53 toll nakas across the state.
Welcoming the decision as the first step towards making Maharashtra toll-free, Sanjay Shirodkar, who has done research on tolls in the state, said that the people of the state would enjoy a toll-free state only after the government does away with toll on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, Kolhapur toll and Mumbai entry point toll.
In an interview with dna''s Shailendra Paranjpe, Shirodkar said that even though the government is moving towards a toll-free state, much remains to be done.
Q) Why have the Mumbai-Pune expressway, Kolhapur toll and Mumbai entry points not been included in this list of tolls being abolished?
A) The reason is obvious, these three provide the money, which is many times more than that can be earned through the cancelled 12 tolls. Taking into account the revenue generation of the 12 tolls, one can only say that it is not a big step, but a small one towards making state toll-free.
Q) What is the politics behind this decision?
A) I don''t see much politics in this, but since the BJP had promised during elections that they would make Maharashtra toll-free, they are trying to stick to their word.
Q) What about the tolls cancelled by the previous Congress-NCP government? Has that had any bearing on the latest decision?
A) One can thank MNS president Raj Thackeray for the cancellation of those tolls, and for creating doubt in the minds of millions about tolls. It was Thackeray who did it, and it was after he met former CM Prithviraj Chavan, that the 45 tolls were cancelled. This move by the Fadnavis government is an extension of that decision, but the real question is why were these tolls being operated for so long?
Q) Do you mean to say that this decision is not going to help the state?
A) I am saying that this decision may provide some relief, but not that much, since all these tolls are 12-15 years old. Neither has the government announced how much amount has been recovered through toll tax by the investors, nor are they telling people that the PWD in 1996 had made it clear that any toll can have a buy-back that doesn''t exceed 20%.
Q) What about Mumbai entry point toll and the other three tolls?
A) As far as the Mumbai-Pune expressway is concerned, it is IRB Infrastructure Developers which is running it, and it is the costliest toll in the country with Rs195 for 95 kms.
The same IRB is running the toll for Ahmedabad-Baroda highway, and they are charging Rs95 for it. Interestingly, neither the Mumbai-Pune expressway nor the Mumbai entry point toll have a provision of a return ticket. However, the same IRB is having the said provision in the Ahmedabad-Baroda expressway toll.
Road Ministry to remove 125 toll plazas for hassle-free ride: Nitin Gadkari
Highway commuters may soon enjoy a smoother ride, with the government deciding to scrap 125 toll plazas on some of the nation''s roads.
The government is identifying projects where toll collection has become unviable or the cost has been recovered, minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday.
Gadkari said 74 such publicfunded tolls have been identified and 61 of them have already been shut down. The road ministry also plans to make all projects with an investment of less than Rs 100 crore under public-private partnership toll-free after addressing contractual obligations, Gadkari said on the sidelines of the Indian Supply Chain Logistics Summit.
A road cess levied on petrol and diesel may be increased to recoup revenue foregone by giving up tolling.
The road ministry has proposed raising the cess to both the Prime Minister and the finance ministry. It has also recommended a 2 per cent surcharge on the purchase of new vehicles. If both proposals are accepted, the ministry would end up making far more revenue than it will forego, a senior road ministry official said.
The road ministry has been considering the idea of removing toll for passenger and non-commercial vehicles, which contribute only 14-15 per cent of total toll revenue and account for almost 50 per cent of the overall traffic. In 2013, of the total toll collection of Rs 11,400 crore, only Rs 1,600 crore came from personal vehicles, according to road ministry data. The removal of toll plazas along with implementation of a pan-India electronic toll collection system on national highways may help to saveRs 88,000 crore by reducing waiting and saving on time and fuel, according to a joint study by the Transport Corporation of India and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
Of the 350 toll points on the Mumbai-Delhi route, 140 have been converted to e-tolling, which enables cashless collection of charges. Gadkari said the introduction of e-toll in the country will help reduce the waiting time of vehicles, which presently costs 2-3 per cent of GDP. Besides causing traffic snarls, passengers have refused to pay charges and have resorted to violence at some toll plazas. Last year, the Delhi High Court directed the Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation to take over the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway and remove the toll plaza.
The road ministry has proposed raising the cess to both the Prime Minister and the finance ministry. It has also recommended a 2 per cent surcharge on the purchase of new vehicles. If both proposals are accepted, the ministry would end up making far more revenue than it will forego, a senior road ministry official said.
The road ministry has been considering the idea of removing toll for passenger and non-commercial vehicles, which contribute only 14-15 per cent of total toll revenue and account for almost 50 per cent of the overall traffic. In 2013, of the total toll collection of Rs 11,400 crore, only Rs 1,600 crore came from personal vehicles, according to road ministry data. The removal of toll plazas along with implementation of a pan-India electronic toll collection system on national highways may help to saveRs 88,000 crore by reducing waiting and saving on time and fuel, according to a joint study by the Transport Corporation of India and the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
Of the 350 toll points on the Mumbai-Delhi route, 140 have been converted to e-tolling, which enables cashless collection of charges. Gadkari said the introduction of e-toll in the country will help reduce the waiting time of vehicles, which presently costs 2-3 per cent of GDP. Besides causing traffic snarls, passengers have refused to pay charges and have resorted to violence at some toll plazas. Last year, the Delhi High Court directed the Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation to take over the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway and remove the toll plaza.
Zerodha (Trading & Demat Account)
RHP
IPO Mentor (1100+ Posts, 400+ Likes)
