[iVento]

There's good news for motorists in Maharashtra as the state government has decided to do away with 44 toll plazas in the state. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the state assembly on Monday. However, none of these tolls are within Mumbai city limits.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters, "We had tried to formulate a policy before Lok Sabha elections. The PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal had announced this as well. Whichever toll is in its final phases and where only little money is left, we are trying to cancel the toll."

Full News HERE

Further Reading HERE

[latentpotential]

While the article is good news, there is no complete list in public domain as of this post which lists out all these 44 toll nakas.

Further, there was some impetus on removing toll for Mumbai city limits for private local cars as per hearsay. If anyone comes across any concrete news regarding the same, it would be perhaps equally welcome as this years monsoon.

[phamilyman]

Congratulations Maharashtra tax payers!

How does it feel to become the sugar daddy for the remaining 97% who don't pay tax?

Don't get me wrong - I got nothing against poor people or those using public transport or farmers and suchlike. My irritation is with the cash economy in India which grows fatter while we tax payers get milked.

Someone's gotto pay for those tolled roads.

If you're not paying, then welcome to the 1970s once again friends! No costs, no quality infrastructure.

Either ways, we aspirational middle class who are willing to pay a reasonable fee for facilities we use, will suffer.

[ani_meher]

I wouldn't get my hopes too high. There are so many useless toll booths spawned all around in village roads, I think mostly those will be in this list.

[gsurya]

How is this 'GOOD NEWS'?

Toll is a valid way of funding PPP projects globally, it will make things only worse if we have a negative opposition hell bent on stalling progress merely for votebank politics.

Remember how this same opposition stalled Dabhol power project setting us back by a decade & is now also opposing Jaitapur!

[Arch-Angel]

So, now how is the Maharastra government going to maintain these roads? Not being negative here but i really feel the government must have placed toll booths at the correct locations and not everywhere they feel like. Putting them up and later removing them is an utter waste of taxpayer's money(not like its been really productive anyway) but that is another story by itself.

[ani_meher]

I got the list from Marathi news.

बंद केलेल्या टोल नाक्*यांचा तपशील
- सार्वजनिक बांधकाम विभागाचे 306 कोटी रुपयांचे 34 टोल नाके
- रस्तेविकास महामंडळाच्या अखत्यारीतील 27 कोटींचे 10 टोल नाके
- एकूण किंमत 333 कोटी

- एमएसआरडीसीचे टोल नाके
1. मिरज-म्हैसाळ रेल्वे उड्डाणपूल 2. करमाळी बाह्य वळणरस्ता
घोटी ते नागपूर महामार्गावरील अन्य 8 टोल नाके

- सार्वजनिक बांधकाम विभागाचे
1. वाशीम जिल्ह्यातील कारंजा, मंगरूळपीर, वाशीम रस्ता - ठिकाण..... शिवणी
2. चुंबळीफाटा - पाटोदा- मांजरसुंबा रस्ता - ठिकाण ...........पाटोदा
3. औंढा - चौंढी - वसमत रस्ता - ठिकाण ......चौंढी
4. नगर - आष्टी - जामखेड रस्ता - ठिकाण........ पांढरी
5. तुळजापूर - नळदुर्गा रस्ता - ठिकाण.......देवसिंगा
6 तुळजापूर - उजनी रस्ता - ठिकाण..........काकरंबा
7 हदगाव - नांदेड रस्ता - ठिकाण ......गोजेगाव
8. नागपूर - बोरी तुळजापूर - ठिकाण .....देवळी
9.अंकलेश्*वर - बऱ्हाणपूर रस्ता - ठिकाण .....खानापूर
10. औरंगाबाद - दोंडाईचा - शहादा रस्ता - ठिकाण .....दोंडाईचा
11. नगर -दौंड रस्ता - ठिकाण .... चिखली
12. काठरे दिगर सटाणा मालेगांव चाळीसगाव रस्ता - ठिकाण ....होळफाटा
13. धुळे बायपास रस्ता - ठिकाण ....धुळेबायपास
14.. संगमनेर - लोणी कोल्हार रस्ता - ठिकाण .... वडगाव पान
15. संगमनेर तळेगाव कोपरगाव रस्ता - ठिकाण ....रांजगगांव देशमुख
16 . नगर टाकळी काझी जामखेड भूम रस्ता - ठिकाण ....टाकळी काझी, खर्डा
17. मालेगाव चाळीसगाव रस्ता - ठिकाण ....बिलाखेड
18 जळगाव नेरी पहूर रस्ता - ठिकाण ....नेरी
19 मुक्*ताईनगर पूर्णा बऱ्हाणपूर रस्ता - ठिकाण ....पूर्णाड
20. अंकलेश्*वर बऱ्हाणपूर रस्ता यावल चोपडा गलंगी रस्ता -- ठिकाण ....अकूलखेडा
21. बार्शी सोलापूर रस्त्यावरील भोगावती नदीवरील काळेगाव पूल रस्ता - ठिकाण ....काळेगाव
22. अक्*कलकोट मैदर्गी निंबाळ रस्ता - ठिकाण ....दुधणी
23. करमाळा बाह्यवळण मांगी येथील उड्डाणपूल - ठिकाण ....फूटजवळगाव
24. टाकळी - कासेगाव - अनवली रस्ता - ठिकाण ....कासेगाव फाटा
25. सांगली शहराबाहेरील कृष्णा नदीवरील आयर्विन पुलास शेरीनाल्याजवळ पर्यायीपूल - ठिकाण ....शेरीनाला, बाह्यवळण, पथकर नाका
26 . पंढरपूर मोहोळ रस्ता - ठिकाण ....मगरवाडीफाटा
27 . वेल्हे शिक्रापूर जेजुरी लोणंद सातारा रस्ता - ठिकाण ....नीरा गावाजवळ
28. टेंभुर्णी कुर्डुवाडी बार्शी लातूर रस्ता - ठिकाण ....कुर्डुवाडी बाह्यवळण
29. गुहागर-चिपळूण कराड जत विजापूर रस्त्यावरील मल्हारपेठ पंढरपूर रस्ता - ठिकाण ....विजयनगर, निसरेफाटा
30 . मंगळवेढा बाह्यवळण, मंगळवेढा ते मरवडे, बेगमपूर ते मंगळवेढा व मरवडे ते कात्राळ रस्ता - ठिकाण ....मंगळवेढा, मरवडे
31 रायगड जिल्ह्यातील दांड तुराडे आपटा खारपाडा रस्ता व कोनसावळे रस्ता - ठिकाण ....कोनफाटा, दांडाफाटा, आपटाफाटा

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Congratulations Maharashtra tax payers!

How does it feel to become the sugar daddy for the remaining 97% who don't pay tax?.

I could not understand your point. Only where little toll is remaining its being cancelled. It should be done Pan India. Developers are charging Toll even where the road construction is not happening. Its a nexus between NHAI and the developers

There is 309 crore of Toll remaining, which govt will pay.
So tax payers are paying the Toll one shot and then removing the toll plazas

So earlier option was
Queue at Toll plaza, wait there, waste fuel in traffic jam

Now, pay one shot. No fuel wastage, no traffic jam. Overall good.

And then lets come to the point of that now only "Tax payers" will fund this, well everybody pays tax. All states have VAT at 12.5% which you pay when you buy anything. Some items are taxed less, some are exempt, but lots of people pay taxes.
And this collective tax is being used

Earlier villagers and locals(as in rest of India) could get away without Tax on their tractors or three wheelers or by showing a residence card. Now they will also pay this tax indirectly.

[tiger_stripes]

Agree with the comments above. what is needed is transparency on toll collections and utilization of proceeds. Doing away with tolls means ultimately we taxpayers will bear the cost. Tolls in Maharashtra are high compared to bordering states, so that is something to look at and fix.

[gsurya]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I could not understand your point. Only where little toll is remaining its being cancelled. It should be done Pan India.

Developers are charging Toll even where the road construction is not happening. Its a nexus between NHAI and the developers

Have you wondered why its so hard to find ANY decent construction company in the road business? Its because you are assured of losses, not profits.

So the small players that take it up have to cheat, skim & make money whichever way they can.

Toll is targeted at actual users of the road, not the entire taxpaying lot. How does it make sense for a tax payer in Mumbai who never uses a toll road in Aurangabad to pay for it?

[condor]

Maharashtra elections coming soon

[dezmo007]

Originally Posted by gsurya

Toll is targeted at actual users of the road, not the entire taxpaying lot. How does it make sense for a tax payer in Mumbai who never uses a toll road in Aurangabad to pay for it?

He may not use the road directly, however use it indirectly. For example, the products he may use may get transported through that road, or could be anything else.

Also tax is paid for the development of the nation and not necessary self. Why are people who use public transport exempt from paying toll and only private owners have to pay toll. That is a point of argument, the point is many of us still wouldnt mind paying tolls provided we get good roads.

[Secretariat]

Completely disagree with this move and very disappointed at a clearly populist move.

If we dilute the concept of the user paying for a service or infrastructure, it is the surest road to economic ruin. Both the Centre and Maharashtra's finances are in dire shape - both run massive deficits. General tax revenues are insufficient just to pay for the interest bill for past living beyond our means, for defence expenditure and for all the petroleum subsidies we crave. There is no money at all for infrastructure development. If we wish not to pay any tolls, we will get no roads, period. Sure there is corruption in road building, leakages, etc etc. The solution is to try and reduce them - not to make everything toll free, which in any case will do nothing to curb leakages.

It is a difficult concept to grasp, but there really is no free lunch.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by gsurya

Have you wondered why its so hard to find ANY decent construction company in the road business? Its because you are assured of losses, not profits.

So the small players that take it up have to cheat, skim & make money whichever way they can.

Toll is targeted at actual users of the road, not the entire taxpaying lot. How does it make sense for a tax payer in Mumbai who never uses a toll road in Aurangabad to pay for it?

I dunno. I thought companies like SOMA, AFCON, L&T are biggies.
I have seen developers keep charging hefty toll even when the road is partially constructed.

you talk about losses? Companies miss deadlines and costs, yet they hardly get any penalty.

And what about 309 crore compensation? Why would the developer make loss if they are being compensated?

The news is about 44 plaza's where cost has been recovered or almost recovered.
you will see none of them are in mumbai where the cost recovery has not happened.

The Toll collection in India is a big scam.
Even after cost recovery, toll is retained. The developer becomes a rent seeker charging rent on your and mine property, and we are perfectly ok with that, because we are brainwashed into thinking "Its good for development".

Let me give you a parallel
You will agree with me that Europe is a far more expensive nation when it comes to costs
A 6 km tunnel In ICELAND has only 500 INR toll.
The amount of traffic on such roads is usually 1/20th of the amount of traffic in normal tunnels of India.

Yet, after 15 years of collection, many such toll roads become free as the cost is recovered.

In Europe, under construction roads have much lower Toll, and have much wider road surface for a far fewer number of vehicles.

We pay so much toll because its a scam. Everybody is made a fool and we happily sing along "development, development".

[Raghav_K]

^ i know someone working in l&t and the news i heard is out of 30 odd tolls operated by them, most are bleeding with heavy losses. Only a few, like those on the chennai bangalore highway make good profit.

So not paying tolls is not gonna help infra development.

although some toll operators collect tolls and do not maintain the road, thats another story!!!