Toll collections on state highways going to private firms?

The controversial issue of toll collection on state highways has once again come to the fore after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers have started vandalising various toll plazas in the state since Tuesday.

The toll plazas in Pune district which comes under the Public Works Department (PWD) reveals that state government is compelling commuters to pay amounts higher than what is needed to cover  the cost of the project and the money is going into the pockets of private firms running these toll plazas.

The PWD gave a Rs26 crore project to VCR Toll Services for improvements on the Wadgaon Chakan Shikrapur road. However, the private firm is allowed to collect toll of Rs86 crore which means commuters will have to pay Rs60 crore more than the actual cost of the project. The commuters have already paid Rs36 crore more than the actual cost of the project.

Former IPS officer SM Mushrif has alleged that toll collection itself is against the Constitution and has filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court.  Speaking to DNA, Mushrif said, “The government has given contracts to private operators for development work and against that, they are allowed to recover the money by way of toll. However, according to the rule any amount should first go to the government treasury and then the government can release that amount to private firms. But here, private firms are directly collecting the amount from citizens.”