Toll activists have questioned chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over his silence over the under-reporting of toll traffic by private toll booth operators. Toll activists have claimed that Mr Fadnavis is adopting double standards by not setting up an inquiry after the internal video-graphic study on average traffic data initiated by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) in July 2015 revealed that private toll booth operators are under-reporting traffic data.

Sanjay Shirodkar, a Pune-based toll activist, said, “Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has till date not initiated an inquiry as to why there is under-reporting on the five entry points of the city and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. When Mr Fadnavis was in opposition he was very vocal over the scam being done every minute by private toll operators in terms of under-reporting of traffic data, but that has not stopped after him coming into the government.”

In 2011, Eknath Shinde, now minister for MSRDC and PWD, had along with Mr Fadnavis repeatedly alleged there are glaring irregularities in the collection of tolls by private toll contractors who do it on behalf of the MSRDC.

Vivek Velankar, a Pune based toll activist, said, “I do not understand that what is stopping the government from acting against the private toll operators who are under-reporting traffic data to make more money. These are the same people who were very aggressively claiming irregularities in toll reporting, but when today they have the government, they do not want to (act).”

A comparison between data provided separately by the MSRDC and private contractors had shown that private toll contractors have been under-reporting traffic by almost 27 to 50 per cent on the five entry points of Mumbai and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.