News Detail

• Warkari sect leader Bandatatya Karadkar’s threat to launch an agitation against malpractices in toll booths across Maharashtra has shifted focus on the massive corruption at toll nakas by the state government and the contractors. DNA brings you the views of activists on the issue.There is a need for andolan, and who better than warkaris to take the leadThere are over a hundred toll nakas in Maharashtra under the control of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC), the Public Works Department (PWD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). A year ago, an RTI query had revealed irregularities in records of collection,
• expenses, toll exemption data and profits generated at the toll nakas on the Pune-Mumbai expressway. While the MSRDC was responsible for this task, it was slyly outsourced to a private operator, and the MSRDC never bothered to even audit these figures. It was also revealed that though the amount collected from vehicles was well over the expenditure incurred on e-way construction, toll rates were regularly being hiked despite the ever increasing vehicular traffic. The issue was even raised in the state assembly by the opposition in mid 2011. Surprisingly, the matter was hushed up. Even if one wants to leave one’s own town, one has to pay toll. Is this some kind of ‘zilla bandi’? There is a need for an all-round andolan, and who better than the warkaris to take the lead, given their legendary unity and significant numbers. Anna is still a powerful figure in rural Maharashtra. Besides, his popularity in his home state must be put to good use.—Girish Deshpande, spokesperson, Professionals Party of India
• Anna will decide only after going through the survey report by Karadkar Last Sunday, warkari sect leader Bandatatya Karadkar, along with other activists, met Anna Hazare in Ralegan Siddhi. He has asked for Anna’s support in his agitation against the state government and toll naka contractors, to bring about transparency in their functioning. In the past, Anna had raised issues regarding transparency in toll contracts. Karadkar has given Anna the report of his recent survey conducted at Perne Phata toll naka. Anna and his team have not gone through the report yet. They will take a decision only after they go through the report.—Suresh Pathare, PA, Anna Hazare
• Article continues below the advertisement...Contractors have no right to collect toll, if they fail to maintain the roads
• As per the plans of expressways and highways, those in charge are supposed to plant trees on both sides of the road. What you see is potted plants at many places, but there are no trees which means the road work is not yet complete. Since trees are missing on the expressway, in case of an accident, the victims have to bear the sun till help arrives. Toll is being collected for so many years now, how can they not afford to plant trees along the roads. These contractors have no right to collect toll, if they fail to maintain the roads and plant trees. They should provide the basic facilities to road users. The government and the contractors should declare how much funds were invested in building the roads, and how long will toll be collected to recover the costs? They should put up a sign board displaying the validity of toll collection on a particular stretch of road, after which it becomes a freeway.—Vinod Jain, green activist
• Contractors registered only 25% collection of the actual number of vehicles at Perne toll booth on Pune-Shirur Rd
• I don’t think that the toll collection facilities on state roads have been audited in the last 10 years. It is estimated that more than five times of the actual cost to build the roads has been collected till now. There is no transparency on the real figures of the revenue generated. The government must buy back the contracts and free the roads from the clutches of contractors who are looting the public. A lot of tax on fuels and vehicles has been collected. If the system is made more efficient, one can have toll-free routes in Maharashtra. The government needs to increase the budget allotted to the Public Works Department (PWD), so that they can maintain the roads, rather than allotting these roads to contractors on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. On one hand the government promises to make the PWD technically robust, on the other it keeps them financially deprived. The government must levy nominal service charges for these expressways, but it must not be exorbitant, as it is today. Recently, Bandatatya Karadkar and his group had conducted a week-long survey at the toll naka at Perne Phata on Pune-Shirur Road. Their report showed that over 13.20 lakh vehicles passed through the toll naka every day, but the toll registered by the contractors was only 25% of the actual numbers. They also came to know that the contractor did not have a completion certificate, which is required to operate the facility.—Vishwas Sahasrabuddhe, member, Sajag Nagrik Manch
• Whatever is going on is a big scam that must be investigated
• Right now there are toll nakas on all routes from Pune. But the government should turn certain routes into freeways for those who do not have the money to pay toll, or do not want to pay the toll. No matter what route one takes while going out of Pune, one cannot escape the toll charges as there are no freeways available. If I want to go out of Pune, I do not have an option of an alternative route. This happens only in our state, which is illegal and must stop.Till now, none of the managing bodies — PWD, NHAI or MSRDC — have declared the actual number of vehicles passing through the toll nakas operated by contractors. These contractors are manipulating the numbers and showing less revenue in the books. We want to know how this revenue is being used for infrastructure development. Whatever is going on is a big scam that must be investigated thoroughly.—Vivek Velankar, citizen activist

Source