Trucks in Mumbai to continue paying toll at city entry points till at least 2029

Maharashtra extends toll collection for heavy vehicles in Mumbai until 2029 due to unpaid compensation, amid criticism of financial mismanagement.

MUMBAI: After the Mahayuti government failed to pay compensation for the toll waiver of five entry points to Mumbai, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has decided to extend the toll collection period for heavy and commercial vehicles at these points. Mumbai Entry Point Limited (MEPL), a contractor appointed by MSRDC, will continue to collect toll from these vehicles till at least September 17, 2029, close to three years after the contract ends in November 2026.

Toll for passenger cars and small vehicles was waived in 2024, for which the contractor is owed a compensation of ₹900 crore. (HT Archives) (Hindustan Times)

Officials confirmed that the decision to extend the toll was taken to offset the ₹900-crore compensation owed to the contractor for waiving the toll of passenger cars and small vehicles last year. The decision was taken by the then chief minister Eknath Shinde in the run-up to the state assembly elections last year without studying the compensatory mechanism and its financial effect on the already-burdened state exchequer.

MSRDC has also written a letter to the BMC, a copy of which is with HT, to take over the responsibility of maintaining 17 flyovers, five subways, one Road Over Bridge (RoB), and one Road Under Bridge (RuB). MEPL has maintained these utilities so far.

“The toll collection rights, including the rights on all commercial activity on the flyover till September 17, 2029, will remain with MSRDC to recover the balance unrecovered cost as per the toll notification,” it states further while referring to a decision taken by the cabinet committee of infrastructure.

MSRDC used to charge ₹45 from light vehicle owners and ₹75 from bus owners at Mumbai’s entry and exit points. This money was collected to compensate for the amount spent on building and maintaining 55 flyovers constructed by MSRDC during the Shiv-Sena-BJP rule from 1995 to 1999. Successive governments continued the levy.

In 2010, MSRDC appointed a contractor (MEPL) to collect the toll and, in exchange, maintain the 55 flyovers. The contract with MEPL was supposed to end on November 19, 2026 for four entry points—the Lal Bahadur Shastri Road entry point at Mulund, the Eastern Express Highway at Mulund, the Mulund-Airoli bridge and Dahisar—and in 2036 for the Mankhurd-Vashi entry point.

BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani confirmed the development but said that the civic body had taken over three flyovers for maintenance as of now—the Kalina-Vakola flyover, Vikhroli Junction flyover and Aarey Colony flyover. “For us, public convenience matters the most and hence we decided to take over three flyovers after discussing it with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis,” he told HT.

The municipal commissioner said that the flyovers were not in good condition because of potholes—citizens, he added, were under the impression that they were being maintained by the BMC, which was not true. When asked about the rest of the flyovers and other structures, he said, “As of now, we have taken over the responsibility of only three flyovers.”

“The trouble caused to Mumbaikars by potholes on city flyovers is a result of the policy paralysis of the Mahayuti government,” said Sachin Sawant, spokesperson, Maharashtra Congress. “The government, which had announced the toll exemption before the elections just to lure voters, is now struggling to implement that decision. The poll promises were made without any financial planning, resulting in problems with their implementation.”

Before last year’s assembly elections, the Mahayuti government took several decisions to woo voters, one of these being the Ladki Bahin Yojana, which afforded a monthly dole of ₹1,500 to all eligible women from the economically weaker sections. However, with an estimated revenue deficit of ₹45,892 crore for the financial year 2025-’26, the government is now finding it difficult to make budgetary allocations for Ladki Bahin as well as other populist schemes announced before the assembly polls last year.