Waive toll for Thane vehicles at Anandnagar booth: MNS

Hundreds of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers formed a 3-km-long human chain from Anandnagar toll booth to Kopri bridge.

Hundreds of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers formed a 3-km-long human chain from Anandnagar toll booth to Kopri bridge.

HT Image

The party had demanded that Thane vehicles with an MH04 registration, travelling to Mumbai, should not pay the toll.

Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] MLA Sanjay Kelkar had announced eight days ago that toll would not be imposed on Thane vehicles. People, however, are still asked to pay toll, alleged the workers.

MNS president Avinash Jadhav said, “Even if a person wants to go to Mulund, he is forced to pay the entire toll. This is unfair for Thane residents.”

He said that when the BJP-Sena government came to power in 2014, they had demanded to shut this toll. But the promise was not fulfilled.

“Eight days ago, BJP MLA, Sanjay Kelkar announced that the MH04 vehicles will not have to pay a toll while going to Mumbai. However, people still have to pay the toll. We will stage indefinite hunger strike if this is not stopped,” said Jadhav.

Kelkar replied that he had merely said the government was positive about scrapping toll for MH04 vehicles.

“The state will have to make huge revenue provision to abolish toll for all. Till then, we had demanded that at least Thane vehicles be spared immediately. The government has agreed, though, with the recent political crisis, the issue took a back seat.”

Darshan Deshmukh, 40, a resident of Thane, said, “Even if we want to go half a kilometre from Thane we are made to pay a toll. We also reach home late every day due to congestion. Therefore, at least Thane residents should be exempted from paying toll.”