Ever went to Gurgaon via Delhi? Must have come across the beautiful ride on that broad road before the toll gate. How amazing the ride feels, no! But so is not the case on all the toll gates. In Mumbai, the Kharegaon toll gate has a heavy traffic jam for everyday travellers. The Thane-Bhiwandi connecting toll plaza charges almost 600 to 700 crore rupees every year. It also invested 200 crores approx. for its maintenance.
It was built in 1998 on a budget of 104 crores and was the first ever road project undertaken by Independent post-colonial Indian government. It was developed by IRB infrastructure development workers on a build, operate and transfer motive. It was completed in 1997 and was a significant connector to the Northern India.
Till now, 65 toll gates built in Mumbai have been shut down seeing the great traffic inflow and jams. This will be the 66th toll plaza to be shut down, costing the government almost 700 crores a year.
There is no point of constructing toll gates at places where there is the inconvenience of regulation of traffic and easy charging. Thus, the step to shut down the plaza will definitely be a good news for the daily commuters of this route.
