Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday announced a full toll waiver for light motor vehicles at all five toll booths entering Mumbai. The rule will be implemented from tonight.

The decision was taken during the last cabinet meeting of the Maharashtra government before the Assembly elections.

With the latest announcement, commuters will be able to use small vehicles without paying tolls from all five toll booths, namely Dahisar, Mulund, Vashi, Airoli, and Tinhanth Naka. The toll charge for the abovementioned booths was Rs 45.

The decision, taken during the Maharashtra government’s final cabinet meeting before the upcoming Assembly elections, is set to take effect from midnight today.

Following the Chief Minister’s announcement, several Opposition leaders criticised the government’s move and said this is a jumla ahead of elections. Responding to Opposition leaders, CM Shinde said, “This is not just a chunavi jumla. This toll Scheme is permanent. Those who are calling it a jumla, they themselves lied about their promises.”

The move is expected to benefit daily commuters entering the city in smaller vehicles as they will now be exempted from paying tolls at these key entry points.

The toll booths at these locations have long been a significant part of Mumbai’s road infrastructure, serving thousands of vehicles daily.

Raj Thackeray Congratulates Citizens

Hailing the government for the decision, Raj Thackeray said, “Light vehicles will get toll-free at all the five toll booths entering Mumbai from midnight today. Congratulations to all the citizens living in the MMR area and a big congratulations to my Maharashtra soldiers.”

“My Maharashtra soldiers fought hard for the demand for transparency in toll transactions, and that where the money for road works is collected, the roads should be toll-free… We were criticized for vandalizing the toll booths, but whatever the mechanism called the government, they were not taken seriously unless they took extreme steps,” he added.

Opposition Attacks

Soon after Chief Minister Shinde’s announcement, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi termed the move as a ‘desperate measure’ before the Maharashtra polls. She further claimed that the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde is trying to divert people’s attention from the deteriorating law and order condition in the state after NCP leader Baba Siddique was murdered.

Taking to X, she wrote, “Desperate measure just hours before election code of conduct shows that Mahajhoothi government knows their days are numbered so try and salvage whatever little they can to save themselves from the public’s wrath. Also because it has been under severe fire for the absolute and total collapse of law & order.”

“Just like Ladki behen came at the back of a defeat, this toll decision comes at the back of an impending defeat,” she added.

This is Not ‘Jumla’: Shinde Reacts On Opposition’s Claims

CM Shinde said that the toll waiver announced has nothing to do with elections. He said that traffic was the main issue in the region, which has been addressed by the government. “This is not an ‘chunavi jumla’,” he said.

“At the Mumbai entry point, there used to be a traffic jam at the toll plaza. This was the demand of the people for the last several years. I am also happy that today, during my tenure as CM, lakhs of light motor vehicles have been exempted from toll. This will save their time, pollution will be reduced and there will be no traffic. This is a big historic decision, this is a masterstroke…” he said.