Citizens demand details of capital outlay, waiver on Pune-Mum eway

Pune: Citizen groups have put forth demands to the state govt to declare the capital outlay of the tolls collected on the Pune-Mumbai expressway. They have also made a demand to stop toll collectionon the expressway.
"It is expected that the govt stops toll collection once the capital outlay is finished. The govt, however, wants to continue with the collection (on the expressway).So, it is not sharing the data," said Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch.
The group claimed that the state govtwas avoiding sharing the details of the outlay with the public.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday announced toll exemption to light motor vehicles at all five toll booths located at the entry points of Mumbai.
The Yashwantrao Chavan Expresswayis a vital transportation artery. It witnesses average daily traffic of up to 40,000 vehicles, surging to 60,000 vehicles on weekends.
"The authorities have been charging a toll for decades on the expressway. Transporters will be relieved if the toll is waived. The expense of building and maintaining the stretch must have been already recovered," Baba Shinde, president of the Maharashtra Transport Vehicle Owners and Drivers Association, said.
According to officials of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the demand made by the citizens could be considered if the proposal is viable.
"If the toll has to be stopped abruptly, the contractor will have to be compensated accordingly. The state may offer the waiver if the proposal does not seriously hamper govt finances. There is a possibility of a legal tangle if the contractors decide to challenge the decision of toll waiver in the court of law," a senior official of MSRDC said, on condition of anonymity.