[Technocrat]

Originally Posted by arpandiv

this toll is there since quite some time,i have got receipts for it,but yes its not there during nights. I think its some sort of "Tourist tax" AFAIK mahableshwar also has this.

You are right Arpan there is similar tax in Mahabaleshwar too.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

maharashtra govt has allowed certain hillstations to collect pollution tax. mahabaleshwar, panchgani, lonawala are some entitled spots.
if you are paying tax, ask for receipt.
if you are just passing thro' that place and not intended to halt or visit any spot, then you have to pay just rs 5/10 as escort which is valid for 20 min.

[Bass&Trouble]

Was in Lonavla last weekend, and passed this "toll naaka".

There were four of us in the car, but he asked us for only Rs. 30/- and then asked us to drive off. My friend who was driving the car asked for a receipt, for which the fellow said, "Do logon ka nahi liya na, abhi jaane do". My friend gave him 10 more bucks and pressed for the receipt after which he reluctantly gave it.

Nearly everyone else in other cars drove off without bothering for the receipt, perhaps happy that they saved a few bucks.

A lot of good this charge will do to the pollution situation in Lonavla!

[nawabnabeel]

i always dodge these tollwalas as you know there is no toll for the cars coming back from bushi dam so i dodge the drums dividing the two lanes. i always go there with my friends so ask them to get down before the tollnaka and hopp in just after i cross it so that even if i get cought dodging them i dont have to pay tolll for the 4 people i am with. i got cought only once while dodging and when he asked for toll i said i am going to a friends place and not for sightseeing as i am alone. then he was still asking me to pay the toll but i said i dont have any money. his reply to this was a bit funny.. "kya yaar 5 lakh ki gadi chalata hai aur bolta hai paise nahi hai". he let me go without paying. i stay at khopoli and i visit this place very often and mostly after sunset and i notice that theres no toll after sunset.

[GTO]

Looks legal. I wouldn't have bothered otherwise but I remembered this thread and asked for a receipt. Was given 4 on the spot. The practice of charging per person prevails in Mahabaleshwar too.

[spadival]

Yeah.. If you are heading to Mahabaleshwar from Pune, you end up paying toll at Panchgani also, even if you dont plan to spend any time in Panchgani.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by spadival

Yeah.. If you are heading to Mahabaleshwar from Pune, you end up paying toll at Panchgani also, even if you dont plan to spend any time in Panchgani.

If you are just passing through Panchgani, you do not require to pay passenger tax, just pay car entry tax of rs 5 only . Your tax receipt is valid for 20 min within which you have to cross Panchagani. Same applies in Mahabaleshwar if you are not intended to stay in Mahabaleshwar.

[gd1418]

They don't have anything similar here in the North. Not atleast to the hill stations that I've been - Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet, Almora, Kasauli, Dhanaulti, Kanataal, Chamba (HP) etc.

However, coming to polluting, whether you stay or are driving through, the vehicle does pollute the environment anyway..

[V-16]

It is not a toll but a pollution tax collected by some hill stations 9Mahableshwar, Panchgani etc.)
The main purpose is to collect a small fee from the visitors, who when they arrive, do cause pollution (the cars, the plastic bags etc etc)
This was a very recent phenomenon and if you are a resident of the area, your car is allowed to travel without any tax.

Originally Posted by F50

Amit, this toll is there since a long time. I dont remember the date but it was a Team-Bhp Drive and I was in whose car was it V-16's or Scoobys or Viper, but they stopped us and asked for 20 bucks - Rs.5 per passenger. But someone said I stay over here and they let us go without taking any money.
Even I was curious to know (obviously at that time) about this new toll. But I didnt find any of them next time around when I had been to Lonavala, okay it was 3 am but still a toll is suppose to be 24 hrs right?

You were in my car and I told him i had a bungalow there, due to which he let me pass. I will have to get a sticker on my car if I want to avoid paying the tax.
It is not illegal and they do hand out a receipt for the money taken.
Where this amount goes and what they do with it, may be another story

[suvi]

Originally Posted by arpandiv

this toll is there since quite some time,i have got receipts for it,but yes its not there during nights. I think its some sort of "Tourist tax" AFAIK mahableshwar also has this.

Yes and they charged this to me when i was traveling in a bus. i refused to pay and he threatened saying that police will arrest me in Mahableshwar. This type of fleecing i have not seen anywhere else. it is illegal to ask a person pay "entry tax" to enter any city since our constitution allows us to travel to any part of the country.
I ended up paying since everybody else did and did not want to spoil our family vacation for Rs 20

[anoop.nair]

When I was at Mahabaleshwar(MH) & quite recently while in Mahabalipuram(TN), I was asked to pay some amount as tax by municipal authorities terming passenger tax. I'd like to refrain mentioning the state of affairs in these places in spite of taxation. I have heard similar unverified accounts from other tourist spots as well. Now, if i compare this to welfare or development, can I impose tax to anyone entering my residential colony on the same lines?

I would like to know if this is legal especially when the constitution of India says this,
Quoted from wiki:
Freedom to move freely throughout the territory of India though reasonable restrictions can be imposed on this right in the interest of the general public, for example, restrictions may be imposed on movement and travelling, so as to control epidemics.
Freedom to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India, subject to reasonable restrictions by the State in the interest of the general public or for the protection of the scheduled tribes because certain safeguards as are envisaged here seem to be justified to protect indigenous and tribal peoples from exploitation and coercion.[24] Article 370 restricts citizens from other Indian states and Kashmiri women who marry men from other states from purchasing land or property in Jammu & Kashmir.[25]


Mods: Please merge/delete this post if this is already discussed as I did not find a suitable thread.

[timuseravan]

It is quiet legal unfortunately. There are two separate items for Mahabaleshwar collection - one is levied by the forest department for entry to the areas under forestry control and the other by the local municipal corporation.

Recently Panchgani has also started this collection.

[Zappo]

Actually, legality has two aspects. One is of course about whether the happenings are blessed by the authorities. In that case more than the legality it is about the validity of the move. A local authority is empowered to levy charges as it deems fit for the general betterment of the society or a cause. The second aspect of legality is about whether this is a case of authority overreach. A classic case is that of the KA government that brought about a change to force motorists to pay up the local levies and taxes for their vehicles within 30 days of being in KA. While the government can enact laws and legislation they may not do something that can be termed ultra vires. In this case it was overruled by the HC because the overarching framework is the CMV Act that allows people to have a 12 month period.

So in short, while the local authorities may levy such tolls or entry taxes whether they are valid in the eyes of the law is a different matter. We will only know if someone drags them to the court over the issue.

[anoop.nair]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

It is quiet legal unfortunately. There are two separate items for Mahabaleshwar collection - one is levied by the forest department for entry to the areas under forestry control and the other by the local municipal corporation.

Recently Panchgani has also started this collection.

Unfortunate for sure as it shows the other side of federal India. But you mentioned it is legal. May I ask you how?

Originally Posted by Zappo

So in short, while the local authorities may levy such tolls or entry taxes whether they are valid in the eyes of the law is a different matter. We will only know if someone drags them to the court over the issue.

So the issue looks like who will bell the cat?

[swiftnfurious]

I think i have paid such taxes per car in both Goa & Mahabaleswar. Though it was hefty both the times, didn't bother as I felt its legal & something to do with tourism. Personally, i would like not to pay a single penny, but then at times think it's ok for the development of the place too.