MSRDC to move Dahisar toll plaza further beyond Versova Bridge

Maharashtra plans to relocate Dahisar toll plaza 2km north due to congestion, despite political opposition. Shift expected by Diwali, amid traffic concerns.

MUMBAI: After a series of opposition from multiple political parties to relocate the Dahisar toll plaza by 2km north of its current location, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is planning to move the toll gates further north. Transport minister Pratap Sarnaik has announced that the toll booths will be shifted by Diwali.

A bottleneck at Dahisar toll plaza, north bound. Bottleneck is causing daily traffic jams for commuters.due to Metro pillar construction work near Dahisar toll plaza. . (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Earlier this month, on September 9, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the urban development minister and minister for MSRDC, decided to relocate the toll plaza 2km away, to a point near Versova Bridge, due to increasing vehicular congestion.

Now, in a letter addressed to the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), MSRDC’s joint managing director, Manoj Jindal, has sought permission to relocate the toll after Versova Bridge, that is, within the jurisdiction of the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC). Hindustan Times has accessed the letter dated September 22. The Dahisar toll naka currently starts from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway and comes under the NHAI’s jurisdiction, hence necessitating their permission.

Less than a month after the decision to relocate the Dahisar toll naka was made, the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena opposed the move within the Mira-Bhayandar civic limits. The reasons for resistance included inconvenience to motorists travelling to and from Thane, as a toll post would prolong the commute time. Another issue was that the levy of the toll charge on commercial, heavy, and non-passenger vehicles would translate to a higher cost of goods arriving at Mira-Bhayandar.

The toll naka’s relocation is seen as a political move as the assembly constituency of the transport minister, Pratap Sarnaik, includes a part of Mira-Bhayandar.

In MSRDC’s communication, apart from repeated complaints of traffic congestion from residents, the construction of the Mumbai Metro 9 route by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was cited as another factor, as a station would come up right next to the toll plaza at Dahisar.