Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray warned the state government on Monday and said that his party workers will set the toll booths on fire if they are stopped from ensuring that small vehicles are exempted from paying toll tariffs. While talking to the media, Raj Thackeray alleged that toll booths are a means of livelihood for the politicians in Maharashtra. He said, “I have sought an appointment with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the next couple of days. Will see what comes out of that meeting, otherwise, keeping the deputy chief minister's (Devendra Fadnavis) statement in mind, MNS workers will gather at every toll booth and ensure that four, three and two-wheelers are not charged tolls. If we are stopped, we will set it ablaze,” reported news agency PTI.
Thackeray's remarks came after the statements of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who said that small vehicles are exempted from paying tolls.
Thackeray said that all political parties have come to power in the state in the past few years but none of them implemented the assurance of making the state toll-free. He alleged that toll booths are a means of livelihood for many politicians. The MNS chief said, “They get some share from the money collected at toll booths every day, every week and every month. Hence, toll booths will never be closed down, and you will also never get good roads.”
He then raised questions regarding the movement of money that was collected at toll booths and asked why the same companies are continuously getting contracts for toll collection, PTI reported.
In response to the statements of the MNS chief, Fadnavis on Monday issued a statement and said that 12 toll booths in the state were shut down via an order that was published on May 31, 2015. Fadnavis' statement read, “As many as 12 toll booths were closed via an order that came into effect from midnight May 31, 2015. There were 38 toll booths of the public works department in the state, of which 11 were closed, while of the 53 toll booths of the Maharashtra Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), one was closed.”
He added in the statement that at the remaining 53 booths of the PWD and MSRDC collectively, cars, jeeps and state transport buses are exempted from paying tolls. The statement further read that the decision to compensate the toll companies was taken in 2017 and a government resolution for the same was issued on August 31, 2017, reported PTI.