PUNE: The increase in the toll tax on national highways with effect from Sunday has left most transporters here fuming.
Among the five highways passing through Pune, toll has been increased on two of them — the Pune-Satara and
Pune-Solapur highways (see graphics). There has not been any change in the three other highways, including Pune-Mumbai expressway.
A section of the transporters said collection of toll continued on roads even after the amount spent on building the stretch has been recovered. Other transporters said the vehicle owners were taxed on one of the highways passing through Pune even as the road construction remained incomplete for years together.
“The rise in the toll tax is a bad news for us. We feel that collection of toll should be stopped on all roads, as we pay a huge amount to the government in the form of various taxes. A round trip of a Volvo bus usually costs us around Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000, which includes toll tax as well. This is too high for us and we are at a loss,” Pune luxury bus association president Balasaheb Khadekar said.
“Toll collection is continuing on
Pune-Satara Highway even as road construction work is not complete. We have written many letters to the state government, seeking abolition of the toll tax. But they have been unanswered. We are planning out next move, which could be in the form of a major protest,” he told TOI.
All India Motor Transport Congress (West Zone) vice-president Mukhesh Dave described toll collection as “a logical commercial arrangement”. He said, “The contractor or company, which has got the deal from the government to construct a road, sets up the toll plazas to recover the capital cost. According to the regulations, the toll collection period can be 30 years or whenever the capital cost is recovered. Once this is done, the toll rates can be decreased and the money can be used for road maintenance.”
Jitendra Parikh, a senior office bearer with the
Bombay Goods Transport Association, said the toll collection in Pune should be stopped immediately. “In many cases, the contractors have recovered the capital amounts and are still continuing with the toll. We have been saying that instead of collecting toll, the government should take an amount in one go on the lines of procuring national permits. We will soon have a meeting and plan our ways to protest the hike in toll,” he said.
