Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has floated bids inviting private companies to develop real-time data collection software to monitor toll collection at every MSDC tollbooth in the state. The software will developed with the help of “Wide Area Network” (WAN) connectivity, and all WAN servers will be connected with the main server at MSRDC’s head office in Mumbai.
A senior MSRDC officer said, “This move is expected to help us monitor and keep tabs on the amount of toll collected state-wide. With this, we can easily verify data of toll collection submitted to us by private companies assigned the work of collecting toll.”
“There are times when the general public demands information under RTI queries on the amount of toll being collected state-wide and in such a scenario, it will be very easy for us to provide them with accurate figures,” he added.
Also, there are times when private companies assigned to collect toll and the state government get into disputes over closing tollbooths as private companies claim they have not been able to meet toll collection targets because of which they keep getting extensions from the state government to keep tollbooths open. One such example is the recent dispute between Ideal Road Builders (IRB) and the state government over compensation for closing a tollbooth in Kolhapur city, which was also reported by The Asian Age. The builders claimed Rs 473 crore was due to it in compensation whereas the anti-toll action committee estimated the amount to be Rs192 crore. An official from the public works department (PWD) claimed that the dispute would be settled at a sum of Rs 390 to Rs 400 crore.
The IRB demanded Rs 473 crore as compensation for closing down the tollbooth in Kolhapur city. Anti-toll action committee also alleged that the IRB had already collected a huge amount from Kolhapur citizens as toll tax and this should be considered before deciding the compensation. Meanwhile, the state has already closed 12 tollbooths permanently and exempt light vehicles from toll tax at 53 tollbooths across the state, since midnight of May 31.
