Maharashtra government to eliminate toll fees at five Mumbai plazas, benefiting 2.8 lakh vehicles

Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, declared on Oct 14 that starting at 12 a.m. on Oct 15, the entry fee for light vehicles into Mumbai will be waived at all five toll plazas.

This decision fits with the state government's recent tendency of providing voter-friendly initiatives, and it comes just days before the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

This waiver will be applicable at the following five toll plazas: Dahisar, Airoli, Mulund (LBS Road), Mulund (Eastern Express Highway), and Vashi. The toll for light vehicles was increased to ₹45 earlier this year as part of a three-year plan of increases.

CM Shinde said, "As an MLA, I had always demanded that the tolls be waived. I had even gone to court against tolls. Just like the CM Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme, this is the CM Ladka Pravasi Yojana (CM dear traveler scheme). This decision will ease traffic, save fuel, save time, and help the environment."

The decision, according to Shinde, was not a "poll jumla."

"The decision is not for the sake of elections. This is a permanent decision. This is not like the poll jumlas by the opposition parties. This has been a demand of the people for years that we have fulfilled. I am sure that people will reward us in elections," he added.

As a way for the Maharashtra government to recover the costs of building flyovers in the area, Mumbai residents have been paying tolls at the city's entrance points since 2000.

"Around 3.5 lakh vehicles travel through these toll plazas. Out of these, 2.8 lakh are light vehicles, and the rest are heavy vehicles. The government had been planning to waive the toll of light vehicles for many months now. The long queues of vehicles will now end," said Public Works Minister Dadaji Bhuse.

The government's decision to waive tolls, according to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, was a direct outcome of his party's protests.

Additionally, Shinde declared that the late Ratan Tata, a giant of industry, will be honored by the naming of Maharashtra State Skills University.