NAGPUR: Collection of toll on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has been extended till 2035, the State government said on Thursday. The toll collected since 2002, when the Expressway was thrown open to traffic, is more than twice the expenditure incurrred on its construction.
In a written reply to a question by Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt in the Legislative Council, PWD Minister Eknath Shinde said toll collection of toll on the Expressway will continue till 2035 as Rs. 3,215 crore will be spent on upgrading it to eight lanes. The Expressway is currently six-laned.
According to the government, the construction cost of Rs. 2,478.61 crore and interest on project cost, maintenance and other administrative costs are expected to be paid for by toll collection. “The current toll tax collection contract is expiring on August 8, 2019. As of now, Rs. 5,318.42 crore have been collected as toll. However, the total cost of expanding the Expressway is estimated to be around Rs. 3,215 crore, as a result of which tax collection period has been extended till 2035,” the reply by Mr. Shinde said.
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The reply, however, skirted the issue of toll waiver for smaller vehicles, as recommended in a committee report, saying, “The committee has asked the government to take decision on toll waiver and the matter is presently under consideration.”
The expansion project has received administrative approval and pre-qualification tenders have been called on October 1, 2016. The project is expected to be completed by 2020 or 2021, Mr. Shinde’s reply said.