Raj Thackerays Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Tuesday targeted toll roads across the state and asked the public not to pay toll till the state government brings in transparency in their collection. From today,till the government brings in transparency in collection,I urge people not to pay. The government has to ensure that there is no trouble, Thackeray said. His statement had repercussions across the state,with party workers reaching toll nakas to ensure that people did not pay. They stopped toll collection along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway,the old Mumbai-Pune highway and other highways in Navi Mumbai,Nashik and Washim. The government,meanwhile,increased police presence at toll nakas across the state. Though there was no destruction of toll plazas in Mumbai,over 50 police personnel were deployed at the Dahisar toll plaza alone. They arrested 17 people,and later released them on bail. In Bandra,the police arrested 25-30 MNS activists as they gathered at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Over 100 party workers were picked up by the police across the state. Thackeray presented data collated from the fortnight-long vigil undertaken by party workers at nakas in June to monitor the number of cars passing on the route,the amount collected and cost of contract. He said 10,000 party workers were posted at 40 toll nakas across the state and they collected daily data of traffic,toll collected and total cost of the project. After a debate on the toll issue in the Assembly,Public Works Department Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the government was prepared to ensure transparency in the collection process and also in the utilisation of funds. Without naming MNS or Thackeray,Bhujbal said,Its easy to hold demonstrations or to go to toll nakas and say you wont pay. Tomorrow you will ask people to visit restaurants and leave without paying. But this wont lead to better roads. Thackeray claimed that the daily collection along the Mumbai-Pune highway was Rs 1.37 crore,which amounted to Rs 456 crore per year. The contract for collection was till 2027,which meant the company will collect Rs 14,524 crore as against the target of Rs 2,527 crore. I am not against toll. But the companies are expected to provide services to commuters like resting facilities,service roads,display collection details etc. None of these is being done. The government has to ensure transparency in toll collection, he said,adding that he would meet Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and submit a memorandum on their findings regarding toll collection. In Pune,operations at most of the 21 toll posts were stopped for a few hours in the afternoon. The toll post at Somatne on the old Pune-Mumbai highway was closed for about two hours following the agitation.
