Thane: Toll collection at Kharegaon on the Mumbai-Nashik highway is set to resume in the coming months after a gap of nearly nine years as the Majiwada-Wadpe lane widening project being executed by the MSRDC nears completion, NHAI officials said. The speculations have triggered opposition from local political parties.Introduced in 1998 as part of the highway upgrade bypassing Bhiwandi, the toll was scrapped in 2017 and is now being revived alongside the expansion of the highway from four to 12 lanes by MSRDC. The stretch, which connects Mumbai to Nashik and links to the Samruddhi corridor at Amane, carries heavy daily traffic, including freight and commuters from Kalyan, Dombivli and Bhiwandi.“Most of the widening work is complete. Toll collection may begin after project completion and construction of around 30 toll booths will be completed at Kharegaon soon,” an NHAI official requesting anonymity said.The move has meanwhile drawn sharp reactions from parties including the MNS and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), which have demanded exemption for locals.“Restarting toll collection will burden citizens who already pay road tax. Higher transport costs will also push up prices of essential goods. If locals are not exempted, we will shut down the toll plaza,” warned NCP (SP) district president Manoj Pradhan.NHAI officials said a final decision will be taken at the ministry level but indicated that private vehicles with registered addresses within a 20-km radius may be exempted. Fleet cabs, tourist buses, freight vehicles and others are likely to be charged.
