Maharashtra likely to witness another anti-toll agitation

After MNS raked up the toll issue, Mardani Mahila Manch headed by BJP MLC Shobhatai Fadnavis today threatened to start an agitation to oppose collection of levy from next month if the government comes clean on the issue and amend its policy.
"The agitation would be launched on or before February 15, if the Maharashtra government and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Ltd (MSRDC) fails to come clean on the issue and amend their policy," she said.
She alleged that no toll was being collected in "chief ministers' constituencies" like Solapur (former Maharashtra CM Sushilkumar Shinde), Nanded (former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan) and Latur (former Maharashtra CM late Vilasrao Deshmukh), though it was levied by toll booths in other parts of Maharashtra.

She said that people in Chandrapur district were fed up with toll collection which began since December 1999 and seems to be unending.
Speaking to reporters here, Fadnavis said that the very policy of Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) by way of imposing toll for the construction of bridges and roads has been conveniently misinterpreted by the government.
She said that BOT terms authorised the contractor to collect money from users equivalent to his investment, the interest on his investment, the amount need to maintain the bridge or road during the period as well as a reasonable profit on his investment.

"After this point, toll collection should actually end and users should be given a free passage," she said.
Citing an example from MSRDC documents, she said that three railway overbridges were constructed on the Chandrapur- Nagpur Road near Tadali, the Chandrapur-Ballarpur Road near Babupeth and the Warora Naka Square in the city at a cost of Rs 50.02 crore during 1999 and 2002.