Maharashtra: Toll collectors won’t follow govt guideline

The governmentrsquos announcement that tolls would be waived if traffic extended beyond the yellow line appeared to be merely a paperbased directive Recent visits by midday to the Dahisar and Mulund toll plazas revealed that motorists were still required to pay tolls even during peak traffic hours when the traffic crossed the yellow lineMNS Chief Raj Thackeray and Minister Dada Bhuse met at Thackerayrsquos residence on October 13 to discuss the toll issue Following the meeting a press conference was held where they conveyed an agreement between MNS and the government to hold toll operators accountable and enhance transparency in the toll collection process at five toll entry points in Mumbai and on the MumbaiPune ExpresswayTraffic congestion at Dahisar toll plaza PicPrasun ChoudhariDuring the press conference they also announced that a yellow line would be drawn approximately 200300 metres before the toll collection booth If the line of vehicles extended beyond this yellow line the vehicles between the yellow line and the toll booth would be allowed to proceed without paying tolls to prevent traffic congestionMNS Adhikrut the official MNS Twitter handle even tweeted on October 16 ldquoThe yellow line system will be reinstated at each toll booth If the queue extends beyond this yellow line all vehicles will be allowed to pass without tolls until the queue shortensrdquo To verify the onground situation midday visited the Dahisar toll plaza on the Western Express Highway and the Mulund toll plaza on the Eastern Express Highway During these visits and interactions with motorists many complained that the yellow line rule was not being enforced Sometimes the toll was deducted from their FASTag even before they had a chance to discuss the yellow line exemption with the toll booth operatorSuresh Chandaliya Sandeep Singh Ram Singh PalSuresh Chandaliya a regular commuter said ldquoThe FASTag system was meant to streamline our daily commute but in my experience itrsquos far from smooth Many times my FASTag account gets charged before I even approach the toll booth personnel regarding the yellow line waiverrdquo Another regular commuter at the Dahisar toll plaza commented ldquoNo matter how long the toll queue is we are still required to pay The yellow line is just a concept Many times my vehicle is stuck way behind the yellow line but the officials still charge the tollrdquoSandeep Singh a commuter at the Dahisar toll plaza added ldquoThe average wait time at this toll naka is around 2530 minutes during peak hours Irsquom not sure why they charge toll if the wait time is so longrdquoAashim Sheikh a regular traveller from Mumbai to Thane remarked ldquoI am not aware of the yellow line rule but based on my regular travelling experience at the Mulund toll plaza I can say that even if the toll queue is a kilometre long the toll is still chargedrdquoRam Singh Pal a tempo owner passing through the Mulund toll plaza said ldquoI donrsquot travel regularly but when I do travel during peak hours the traffic congestion at the toll plaza is so bad that it takes around half an hour just to pass throughrdquo Amar Vatkar another commuter said ldquoThe lack of awareness about this rule among toll booth operators and motorists is evident This disconnect between the promise and reality is disappointing and adds to the frustrations of daily travelrdquoMukesh Chaurasiya Amar Vatkar Aashim SheikhMukesh Chaurasiya a regular traveller said ldquoI generally travel in many parts of the state but my worst experience is always with the Mumbai toll booths At times the congestion is so bad that it takes a lot of time just to pass the plaza The worst case is during weekends The congestion has sometimes even cost me more than an hour just to pass the toll boothrdquo However when midday attempted to speak with toll plaza managers at the Mulund and Dahisar toll plazas the officials denied sharing any informationOct 13Day Raj Thackeray minister discussed toll issue