When will Mum-pune expressway toll collection stop, HC asks state

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) has sought to know from the state government when it will stop toll collection on Mumbai-pune expressway. The directive came on a public interest litigation (PIL) that complained that the total capital outlay of the project had been recovered in 2019, but toll was still being collected. The PIL further alleged the excess toll has been pocketed by the contractor assigned for toll collection.

The PIL, while seeking directions to Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to discontinue the toll collection contract, also urged that the toll amount collected by the contractor since 2019 be deposited to the state exchequer.

When the PIL filed by advocate Pravin Wategaonkar came up for hearing before the division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni, the court expressed concerns over the continuation of toll collection on Mumbaipune expressway. In the praecipe moved by Wategaonkar and other petitioners Sanjay Shirodkar, Vivek Velankar and Shrinivas Ghanekar, the court was informed that the previous contract had exceeded its collection target of ₹4,330 crore in the 15-year contract period which ended in 2019 by nearly ₹2,343 crore. The bench has asked

MSRDC whether it had received the excess toll revenue.

In view of the submissions, justice Kulkarni asked MSRDC, “Till when do you plan to continue collecting toll, now that the project cost is recovered?”he also asked whether the government was receiving its share of toll revenue from the contractor.

While responding to the court’s query, the advocate for MSRDC said the contract has been given after payment of upfront amount by the contractor and the government had a right to collect toll in view of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The court while directing MSRDC to file a reply within two weeks also asked it to serve copy to the petitioner.