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<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:11px">Despite the protests and vandalism, get ready for a hike in toll rates this year. Toll at five of Mumbai&#39;s entry-exit points will be hiked by about 20 percent&nbsp;from October, while that on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is due to increase by about 18% from April. However, a 20 percent&nbsp;rise in toll on the Bandra-Worli sea link will be effective from April 2015.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:11px">Following the MNS agitation, the state has renewed efforts to draft a toll policy and the administration has made suggestions ahead of Wednesday&#39;s cabinet meet. According to the state government notification approved by the Supreme Court, the existing toll of INR 30 on the city&#39;s borders at Vashi, Airoli, Bhandup, Mulund and Dahisar will go up to INR&nbsp;35 from October this year while on the expressway it will increase from INR 165- 195 from April. The toll on the sea link will go up to INR 65 from INR 55 in April 2015.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:11px">Sources in the state administration said the only way to avoid toll was to charge a cess on every litre/kg of petrol, diesel or CNG sold, towards development and maintenance of infrastructure. Asked if levying a cess and removing toll posts was possible, chief secretary J S Saharia said, &quot;Anything is possible&quot;. Interestingly, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Monday that toll was unavoidable. A senior transport department official also said that so far there was no proposal before the government to levy a cess instead.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:11px">&quot;If at all the government has to change the process of recovery, then it will have to take legal permission from the High Court or Supreme Court and assure proper payment schedule to developers involved in building and maintaining the roads or flyovers,&quot; said an expert close to the development.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:11px">An official of Mumbai Entry Point Ltd. (MEPL), the agency responsible for recovery of toll at five posts on the city&#39;s borders and maintaining flyovers and subways, said &quot;Toll rates for five entry points to the city can&#39;t be renegotiated. The rates have been approved by the HC, whose orders were later upheld by the Supreme Court.&quot; Another official said, &quot;If the rates are negotiated, the toll collection period will also increase accordingly.&quot;</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:11px">Charges are collected at five entry points to recover the cost of flyovers across Mumbai. Part of the amount goes for maintenance of the flyovers, but the contract does not include any structural repairs.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#696969"><span style="font-family:arial"><span style="font-size:11px">Source-On Request</span></span></span></p>