Small cars to receive toll exemption

State public works department (PWD) minister Chandrakant Patil on Monday said that the state government is “positively considering” exempting small cars from paying toll tax at Mumbai’s five entry points. Though the minister did not specify as to when the decision would be taken, sources said that it will happen a few days before the code of conduct for the BMC elections comes into force.

In its manifesto for 2014 state Assembly elections, the BJP had promised a ‘toll-free Maharashtra’. After coming to power, the BJP government had appointed a committee under additional chief secretary of the public works department Anand Kulkarni, who has now retired, to study the issue of toll tax at five entry points of Mumbai at Dahisar, Airoli, Vashi, Mulund (east) and Mulund (west).

“The study shows that the Maharashtra government will have to incur an additional burden of Rs 250 crore per year for next 10 years if it decides to exempt small vehicles from toll. The proposal is under the government’s consideration and we are weighing it,” Mr Patil said.

The government had completely shut 12 toll plazas across the state and exempted small vehicles, state transport buses, and school buses from paying the tax from 1 June 2015 at all places except for Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai entry points. “The government has to pay Rs 450 crore for five years for stopping toll collection from small vehicles from across the state except for Mumbai. After five years, we will be paying less than Rs 200 crore for the next 10 years. But in the case of Mumbai, the state government will incur a bigger burden because most of the vehicles passing Mumbai entry are private cars,” the minister said.

However, a source from the party said that the government would take a positive decision right before the BMC elections next year. “If small vehicles are exempted from paying toll tax while entering and exiting Mumbai, it would give the party a major advantage in the municipal elections,” he said.