Dist toll plazas collect Rs 294 cr against target of Rs 687 cr

Even as the Public Works Department (PWD) has asked all the districts to prepare a "summary report" on the total tax collected from toll plazas following political protests, official figures show that the four toll plazas in Pune district collected only 42.87 per cent of the set target.

The four toll plazas under the PWD - Pune-Nagar (Perne phata), Talegaon-Chakan (Dehu phata), Chakan-Shikrapur and Pune-Paud Road - jointly collected Rs 294.14 crore till June this year while the projected collection is Rs 687.26 crore.

Pune PWD department officials said the toll collection is done on the estimated cost and other additional works and time frame for each toll plaza is fixed. Besides PWD, toll plazas in the district are managed by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and the National Highways Authority of India.

"We manage the four toll plazas and each has a different time frame dpending on the expenses incurred on construction,'' said an official. Officials from the Mantralaya said they are collating data from all the districts in the wake of agitation regarding toll collection. "We want to put up details of all the toll collections on our website,'' said a senior official from the Mantralaya.

Recently, MNS workers had vandalised various toll plazas in the state regarding overcharging.

PWD officials said as and when additional work carried out, toll collections stand to be varied. "Calculations are done accordingly and the time frame is extended,'' said a PWD official. A PIL has been filed by former police officer S M Mushrif at the Bombay High Court against the agencies collecting toll.

ALSO READ

Real estate agent from Pune financed fake currency racket busted in Chandrapur: Cops

Barring election work, teachers exempted from all duties outside school

Fiance who rescued kidnapped girl from Dhule brothel arrested

Charas, brown sugar use high in IT, corporate sector: ANC