Shinde cabinet scraps Mumbai entrance toll for cars, SUVs ahead of elections

Mumbai: In a move widely seen as politically motivated, the Maharashtra state cabinet has decided to abolish the toll charged at the entrance of Mumbai, effective from midnight tonight. This applies only to cars and SUVs.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who hails from Thane, made the decision during a cabinet meeting on Monday morning. As a member of the legislative assembly representing Thane, Shinde had previously led several demonstrations against the toll.
The ₹45 toll was being levied for 55 flyovers constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) during the Shiv Sena-BJP rule from 1995 to 1999. The MSRDC collected the toll at various checkpoints, including Mulund, Airoli, Dahisar, and Mankhurd.
Despite the MSRDC’s desire to continue the toll to recover costs for the new Thane Creek Bridge, the government has opted to discontinue it. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which had launched several protests and met with the chief minister to demand the toll’s removal, argued that the costs had long since been recovered.
The toll was most recently collected by Mumbai Entry Point, owned by Jayant Mhaiskar, who was unavailable for comment.
Kirit Somaiya, a former BJP MP who spearheaded numerous campaigns to eliminate the toll, said, “I welcome this daring decision for construction. The money was recovered long back.”
Shinde, who represents Thane, has long maintained that the toll was unfair to his constituents who commute to Mumbai for work and were charged at the city’s boundary.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is planning to construct an elevated road from Ghatkopar to Thane at a cost of ₹2,682 crore, which will be subject to a toll. This new route will provide direct connectivity for Thane residents to the Eastern Freeway, facilitating travel to the island city.