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Residents demand removal of Khed-Shivapur toll plaza, threaten stir
The Khed-Shivapur Toll Plaza Hatav Sangharsha Committee, an umbrella organisation of residents from five tehsils of Pune district, has threatened to launch a stir if the toll post is not removed
The Khed-Shivapur Toll Plaza Hatav Sangharsha Committee, an umbrella organisation of residents from five tehsils of Pune district, has threatened to launch a stir if the toll post is not removed. The committee claimed in its statement that residents were coerced into paying the toll levy by noting their numbers and through FASTag.
A proposal seeking the removal of toll post had been pending before the government and no toll should be charged from the residents till a final decision was made by the government, said committee members.
The committee office bearers added that despite relaxation in place, residents who had FASTag on their vehicles were being billed and the money is getting deducted from their accounts. The residents have also demanded a separate and dedicated lane for them at the toll booth so that they don’t have to pay toll charges.
Mauli Darwatkar, member of Khed-Shivapur Toll Naka Hatao Committee, during the public meeting, gave a brief overview of the committee action plan. A memorandum of the residents’ demands was also handed over to the toll operator administration.
“The residents are being forced to pay toll tax at the toll both which is illegal. We want this to stop. The proposal is still pending before the central government,” he said.
The Sangharsha committee in 2019 had staged a demonstration seeking the removal of the toll plaza at Khed-Shivapur on Pune-Satara highway. Following the demonstration, the National Highway Authority of India and toll operator decided on toll relaxation for the residents of Haveli, Bhor, Velhe, Mulshi and Purandar tehsils including residents of Pune City and Pimpri Chinchwad. The Sangharsha Samiti claimed that they had been availing of relaxation since then.
The toll operator had stated that vehicles are allowed after checking their ID card, but there was no mechanism to stop deduction through FASTag and appealed to vehicle owners to remove the FASTag when they pass through the toll booths.
