The new Kharghar toll plaza on Sion-Panvel road on Tuesday. (Source: Express Photo by Narendra Vaskar)
The Kharghar toll plaza started operations on Monday night after the state government gave a go-ahead to start the project. The commencement of operations by the Sion Panvel Tollways Project Limited (SPTPL) means that a new toll plaza has come up in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region after a gap of 66 months, that too during the term of the BJP government, which in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections had promised to abolish toll in the state.
BJP government, which in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections had promised to abolish toll in the state.
The toll collection that commenced on Monday night, will charge commuters traveling towards Panvel and beyond Rs 30 more for a one-way trip.
A trip from Mumbai to Pune in a car will set back people by Rs 260 as toll as against Rs 230 that was being paid earlier. The BJP government has, meanwhile, claimed that there is no immediate plan of withdrawing the toll.earlier. The BJP government has, meanwhile, claimed that there is no immediate plan of withdrawing the toll.
“The state government has never said that it will abolish toll. This project was sanctioned five years back and inspite of the government being in power for more than two months we did not give them sanction to collect toll. The operators had approached the Bombay High Court which ordered the state to give the sanction. We have given the go ahead for toll collection because of the Court’s order,” PWD Minister Chandrakant Patil said.
Patil also claimed that his party had never given an assurance of abolishing toll and any move in that direction was unlikely.
“Our leaders never claimed that toll will be completely abolished. We will, however, work towards ensuring that local people are not affected by this toll collections. We have excluded five villages that are in the proximity of the plaza from toll collections . We will try to exclude more villagers in the future,” Patil said.
The BJP has come under flak for allowing toll collection in Kharghar which would mean that commuters will end up paying toll twice in a distance of less than 20 km between Vashi and Kharghar. The Sion-Panvel highway improvement project involved widening of the 23-km Sion-Panvel road to 10 lanes and making it signal-free for six lanes. The road has slashed travel time between Kalamboli and BARC junction by more than 30 minutes.
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The Rs 1,700 crore project had been awarded to the Sion-Panvel Tollways Project Limited (SPTPL), an SPV floated by Essel Infra, which was awarded the Build Operate Transfer Project by the PWD for a period of 17 years.
The company had been undertaking dry runs for the toll collections for the past few days. However the actual collection which commenced early Tuesday morning caused some traffic snarls. Meanwhile early in the morning miscreants damaged two toll booths and fled.
Meanwhile, local activists are not happy that only five villages of Panvel, New Panvel, Kamothe, Kalamboli and Kharghar have been exempted from paying toll. They have claimed that the entire toll collection should
be scrapped.
Local MLA Prashant Thakur had quit the Congress and fought the elections on a BJP ticket after opposing the toll collection in Kharghar. Thakur claimed that the he would ensure that the BJP government gave a complete waiver to local residents. “My fight to ensure that all residents of nearby areas are exempted will continue. I am in talks with the government which is presently looking at ways to find a solution to this problem,” Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur said.
Parties like the Peasants and Workers Party of India have however claimed that they will continue to agitate against the BJP government which has gone back on its word after promising to withdraw toll.
Zeeshan Shaikh is the Associate Editor who heads The Indian Express' Mumbai reporting team. He is recognized for his highly specialized Expertise in analyzing the complex dynamics of Maharashtra politics and critical minority issues, providing in-depth, nuanced, and Trustworthy reports.
Expertise
Senior Editorial Role: As an Associate Editor leading the Mumbai reporting team, Zeeshan Shaikh holds a position of significant Authority and journalistic responsibility at a leading national newspaper.
Core Specialization: His reporting focuses intensely on two interconnected, high-impact areas:
Maharashtra Politics & Urban Power Structures: Provides deep-dive analyses into political strategies, municipal elections (e.g., BMC polls), the history of alliances (e.g., Shiv Sena's shifting partners), and the changing demographics that influence civic power in Mumbai.
Minority Issues and Socio-Political Trends: Excels in coverage of the Muslim community's representation in power, demographic shifts, socio-economic challenges, and the historical context of sensitive political and cultural issues (e.g., the 'Vande Mataram' debate's roots in the BMC).
Investigative Depth: His articles frequently delve into the historical roots and contemporary consequences of major events, ranging from the rise of extremist groups in specific villages (e.g., Borivali-Padgha) to the long-term collapse of established political parties (e.g., Congress in Mumbai).
Trustworthiness & Credibility
Data-Driven Analysis: Zeeshan's work often incorporates empirical data, such as National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics on arrests and convictions of minorities, or data on asset growth of politicians, grounding his reports in factual evidence.
Focus on Hinterland Issues: While based in Mumbai, he maintains a wide lens, covering issues affecting the state's hinterlands, including water crises, infrastructure delays, and the plight of marginalized communities (e.g., manual scavengers).
Institutional Affiliation: His senior position at The Indian Express—a publication known for its tradition of rigorous political and investigative journalism—underscores the high level of editorial vetting and Trustworthiness of his reports.
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The new Kharghar toll plaza on Sion-Panvel road on Tuesday. (Source: Express Photo by Narendra Vaskar)
