The Maharashtra government has announced a complete toll waiver for light motor vehicles at all five toll booths in Mumbai. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde revealed the move on Monday, stating that the toll exemption will come into effect from midnight.
The decision comes days before the upcoming Assembly polls. It is expected to bring relief to commuters travelling to and from Mumbai, particularly before the Diwali celebrations. Drivers who have long complained about delays due to toll queues will now be able to pass through the five toll booths—Dahisar, LBS Road-Mulund, Eastern Express Highway-Mulund, Airoli Creek Bridge and Vashi—without paying tolls.
Light motor vehicles include cars, jeeps, vans, auto-rickshaws, taxis, delivery vans and small trucks. Over six lakh vehicles enter and exit Mumbai daily, with 80% of them being light motor vehicles.
Chief Minister Shinde, who announced the decision during a Cabinet meeting, described it as a “masterstroke” aimed at saving time, fuel and reducing pollution. “It was a long-standing demand to waive tolls at Mumbai’s entry points. Many activists, including myself, had approached the courts for this. We have now implemented the ‘Laadle commuters’ scheme, just like we did with Laadli Bahin, Laadla Bhai and Laadla farmers,” he said.
He dismissed the opposition’s claims that the move was election-driven, asserting that it was a permanent measure. Taking a jab at his political rivals, Shinde remarked, “Those who collected tolls are now criticising us. They have always been the ‘Lena bank’, while we are the ‘Dena bank’.”
Maharashtra Minister Dadaji Dagadu Bhuse noted that light motor vehicles were previously charged Rs 45 and Rs 75 at the five toll plazas in Mumbai. He added that around 70,000 heavy vehicles, which include trucks and trailers, enter the city daily. These vehicles, which have a gross weight exceeding 7,500 kg, are not exempt from the toll.
At the time of entry into Mumbai, tolls were charged at five locations: Dahisar, Anand Nagar, Vaishali, Airoli and Mulund. “This fee was in effect until 2026, with around 3.5 lakh vehicles using these roads daily, including 2.8 lakh light vehicles,” Bhuse explained. “Today, the government decided to waive tolls for light vehicles after midnight, which will reduce waiting times. The decision has been under discussion for months and has finally been implemented.”
Background: Why Tolls Were Collected
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), under then-minister Nitin Gadkari, built 55 flyovers across Mumbai, leading to the establishment of toll booths at the city’s entry points to recoup construction costs. The tender for the toll booths was floated in 1999, and they became operational in 2002.
Activists argue that the cost of building and maintaining the flyovers was recovered over a decade ago, yet toll collection continued. Last year, the Maharashtra government extended the toll collection period until 2027, expecting to raise Rs 11,000 crore. This led to calls from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and various factions of the Shiv Sena for a toll waiver, with Aaditya Thackeray recently demanding the same at all entry points.
Political Reactions: Mixed Responses
MNS chief Raj Thackeray, whose party has previously made headlines for vandalising toll booths, welcomed the toll waiver decision, praising the government for addressing the issue. “Congratulations to all citizens in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area. We fought hard for transparency in toll transactions and now every Mumbaikar can travel toll-free,” he said in a statement shared on X.
However, Thackeray expressed hope that the decision was not politically motivated ahead of the elections. On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the move, calling it a “desperate measure” taken to win votes. “This last-minute decision reveals the desperation of the government, whose days are numbered,” she tweeted, adding that the move follows a series of missteps by the ruling administration.
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