Scam/ Corruption in Toll Plaza

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Also for people going to Mahabaleshwar, we have to pay some tax at Panchgani and then again at Mahabaleshwar. Its not toll, but called something else. My question is if I am not visiting Panchgani, how can they charge me for using that pathetic, jammed up road in Panchgani town? I am ok with paying municipal tax if I am staying or holidaying there. Not otherwise.

Well, this has been pointed out earlier by 'AshishPallod'. One needn't pay tax in Panchgani if one is just going via Panchagani. I couldn't find exact post or words; please check with Ashish.

[faustus77]

Hi everybody
In september 2011 some 20 km short of Leh(think it was Shyok)I was stopped and asked for rs 70 for entering Leh.They had receipts and there was a board.What seemed odd was the doubt as to why collect 20 kms before.Any city charges are normally at the entrance of the city.Luckily I had a Leh petrol bill dated the same day and after a lot of argument I just drove away.
At Dalhousie I had to pay rs 10 for entering the cantonment nobody else was stopping.Maybe it was my MH 01 number plates.
Regards

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Well, this has been pointed out earlier by 'AshishPallod'. One needn't pay tax in Panchgani if one is just going via Panchagani. I couldn't find exact post or words; please check with Ashish.

Maybe thats the rule but its not being followed. My friend who visited a fortnight before me got into an argument with them and refused to pay. They kept refusing to let him go without paying and one of the guys had jumped in front of his car to get him to stop. If it was a legal collection booth, they would have had a barricade/ stop gate. Come on, even Crimemaster Gogo had one!

Finally they relented (more due to the persistent honking of the vehicles behind him I guess) and let him go without paying.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Me: Is there an alternate route I can take? Or do you think I should be doing what was done in Sangli a couple of years ago

Pardon my ignorance, but what was done in Sangli a couple of years ago ?

BTW, one also pays a couple of seemingly random tolls as you enter Sangli city from the Pune end of the NH4.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by sajo

Pardon my ignorance, but what was done in Sangli a couple of years ago ?

BTW, one also pays a couple of seemingly random tolls as you enter Sangli city from the Pune end of the NH4.

One of the "toll plazas" there was torched by a mob. Not the one on the Pune side though.
The one on the Ashta/ Pune side charges us for the 'new' bridge which is built across the Krishna river. Yes, the one we dont use to go into Sangli town centre

[idea]

Originally Posted by noopster

In related news, the Chandni Chowk toll on Paud Road has been hiked to Rs. 20! (was 18/- early). Boggles the mind how a so-called illegal tollbooth has the audacity to operate openly cocking a snook to the authorities. They continue to let people through who act as if they "belong". It's only poor unsuspecting law-abiding folks who pay up. Ridiculous!

Read it in news paper two days back. This toll has been given a extension of one year by maharastra govt.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Time to print my words and eat them. I was a co passenger in a friends car while passing the same toll plaza this morning, and I let him pay the toll; noty without a pointless argument though.

It seems this toll plaza at Bavdhan towards Mulshi/ Pirangut now has recruited more people and installed that restricting bar too. My friend who was driving thought it was better to pay as he didnt want to spoil our mood before our drive. Nevertheless, while he was paying I told the guy collecting toll that it was mentioned in the paper that this place is not legal. His response was "kaunsa paper, dikhaao'. If I had a printout I would have stuffed it in his mouth. Anyone who can help me with a link to the original article? I will make a special trip to do the honours!

Here you go. Pune miror.

You pay toll You don

@mod: Can you pls merge my last two posts?

[amit_mechengg]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Well, this has been pointed out earlier by 'AshishPallod'. One needn't pay tax in Panchgani if one is just going via Panchagani. I couldn't find exact post or words; please check with Ashish.

When you go to mahabaleshwar you see these kind of tax collectors everywhere.

Once my friend showed me a trick - to be damn confident and not to slow or stop, just wave hands and they allow you to go.

Since then i have never paid a penny in mahabaleshwar or pachgani. I just pay the parking fees near the mandir and elsewhere.

[pgsagar]

Let the Govt. display a huge billboard at every toll-gate showing the cost of that section of road, in crores down to last rupee. This is target amount to be collected. And then there should be an electronic scrolling display board showing on-line current collection, as it happens. Then there should be day's, week's and month's collection flashing on board so that even a common man knows when the full amount will be recovered. That is called transparency but will it ever happen in our corruption-ridden country?

[selfdrive]

MNS activists attack toll posts across Maharashtra - India News - IBNLive

A day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray questioned the toll collection policy of the state government, hundreds of MNS activists on Wednesday attacked and damaged toll posts in various parts of the state, police said.
The activists attacked toll posts in Thane district's Virar and Vasai towns, district headquarters of Nashik, Aurangabad and Buldhana, among other places in Maharashtra. They chased away toll collectors from Virar and Nashik toll posts, according to police.
Training guns on the state government, the MNS chief on Tuesday had questioned the collection of toll tax in the state. "It is not wrong to impose toll, but to keep on collecting it even after the costs have been recovered is wrong," Thackeray said.

[rajarams]

Comment about two areas:
1) Panchgani: I was there a few weeks back and when i said that i wasnt stopping in Panchgani, the explanation given was that it is called "Vehicle pass through/pollution tax", valid for 20 mins. I also paid at Mahabaleshwar - pollution tax of 50 bucks for the vehicle, 10 INR per passenger. This one looked legal with cops/room etc. There was also another one on the way to Kates Point, where two guys on the road were collecting 20 bucks saying that "it is for all view points on this road" and that "no parking would be collected at kates pt". Yes, no parking was collected.
2) Mulshi road: I have always protested, but to no use. He just gives me some paper in Marathi (a copy which anyone can create). Again, a point mentioned that "i don't bother to spoil my mood at the start" always seems to apply and then i pay up. Also with the barrier guy thrusting the barrier in front of my car, too much to risk for 20 INR. Is this place legal now (a comment was written that it got an extension)?

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by idea

Read it in news paper two days back. This toll has been given a extension of one year by maharastra govt.

Originally Posted by rajarams

2) Mulshi road: I have always protested, but to no use. He just gives me some paper in Marathi (a copy which anyone can create). Again, a point mentioned that "i don't bother to spoil my mood at the start" always seems to apply and then i pay up. Also with the barrier guy thrusting the barrier in front of my car, too much to risk for 20 INR. Is this place legal now (a comment was written that it got an extension)?

Thats weird. I went there last Sunday (July 1st) and most vehicles were being waved over to proceed. No barriers down and no one asking for money. I thought they would collect on the return trip, but they didnt do that either.
I would like to confirm I just tailgated a few vehicles which kept moving. I didnt slow down except for the speedbreakers and I didnt look at anyone either.
Why are they not consistently looting us or letting us go? Intriguing issue this now!

[idea]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Thats weird. I went there last Sunday (July 1st) and most vehicles were being waved over to proceed. No barriers down and no one asking for money. I thought they would collect on the return trip, but they didnt do that either.
I would like to confirm I just tailgated a few vehicles which kept moving. I didnt slow down except for the speedbreakers and I didnt look at anyone either.
Why are they not consistently looting us or letting us go? Intriguing issue this now!

I have used this road on 7th July. Didnt want to spoil my mood for 20 bucks. But noticed that they let go car infront of me without toll. But when i proceeded to move on, some guy popped up asking for money. He also asked to put barricade infront of my Car !!

By that time, decided not to pay for illegal toll for sure. I didnt budge. Heated exchage and all. I also parked my car right in front of collection window and turned off engine and decided to be seated quitely till barricade is moved. I have already conveyed him firmly that i will not pay up as toll is illegal.

Some other guy popped - some senior (?). Told him same. I wont him pay up and he can call police on my behalf as i also want them to be here to take of illegal collection.

in couple of minute, they let me go. On way back, didnt pay any toll.

Probably it is not question of 20 bucks but toll being illegal.

[ani_meher]

I argued with those suckers at Pirangut illegal toll and the guy came up with barricades from left. Finally I paid up, and a few kms ahead when I stopped for refilling air in tire, the left front tire, which was right near the barricade-bearing person, was having multiple nails inside :( Total 10 punctures. I don't remember treading on any construction site or anything, and besides, I had picked up some friends hardly 10 minutes ago near Kothrud, and no one had any recollection of seeing the front flat tire.

Since that time, I pay that particular toll with heavy cursing :(

[noopster]

^^ Nothing's changed at the Chandni Chowk-->Pirangut tollbooth. Yesterday we were two cars headed towards Lavasa for a nice monsoon drive. I had my family and another family in the car and didn't want to take a risk, so quietly paid up both ways. The other car had 3 well-built male occupants (my friends) and they didn't volunteer to pay and were quietly waved through. As much as the unfairness of it galls me, am not about to risk the safety of my passengers and my property by confronting these goons.

It's a matter of shame that the authorities don't do anything about this. I know for a fact that residents of apartment buildings along Paud Road do NOT have to pay the toll, which just seems ridiculous to me. There has to be a consistent policy with no exceptions for everybody.

[idea]

Originally Posted by noopster

^^ Nothing's changed at the Chandni Chowk-->Pirangut tollbooth. Yesterday we were two cars headed towards Lavasa for a nice monsoon drive. I had my family and another family in the car and didn't want to take a risk, so quietly paid up both ways. The other car had 3 well-built male occupants (my friends) and they didn't volunteer to pay and were quietly waved through. As much as the unfairness of it galls me, am not about to risk the safety of my passengers and my property by confronting these goons.

It's a matter of shame that the authorities don't do anything about this. I know for a fact that residents of apartment buildings along Paud Road do NOT have to pay the toll, which just seems ridiculous to me. There has to be a consistent policy with no exceptions for everybody.

This is really sad. Cant we do something about this? being a strong TBHP community in pune? May be a Lavasa drive (without paying toll by anybpdy) and posting 5-10 mins protest at collection centre :-). Atleast they will not stop cars with TBHP stickers :-) henceforth for toll.