Challenges Maha Dy CM Fadnavis
The next step would be to burn down the toll plazas unless corrective action is taken, declares Raj Thackeray
By DILIP CHAWARE
October 10, 2023
All, Politics
MUMBAI, Oct 10 (The CONNECT) – Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray’s challenge to Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over the latter’s statement regarding the road toll tax in the state has culminated into many MNS workers storming toll plazas in several areas, damaging some.
Thackeray said that Fadnavis had declared that there was no toll tax in the state for small cars.
“Despite this, the toll levy is recovered everywhere. What is the truth,” he asked the government to explain. Following this, irate MNS activists reached different toll nakas and started allowing the passing of cars without paying the levy. The police soon intervened to restore normalcy.
Later, the office of Fadnavis explained in a statement that a dozen toll nakas had been discontinued with effect from 31 May 2015. Similarly, toll for certain categories of vehicles had been abolished from 53 toll nakas from the same date.
The issue of toll tax for using certain roads, highways and expressways has been hanging fire for a long time. Successive regimes have announced their intention to do away with the toll but legal bindings prevent them from actually implementing the assurance.
As the ruling coalition and various Opposition parties are presently engaged in political activities, the MNS agitation has received sudden mileage. Raj has declared that the next step would be to burn down the toll plazas unless corrective action is taken. (By arrangement with Shot Post)
