Maharashtra govt announces toll waiver for cars and SUVs at all 5 entry points. What it means

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The Maharashtra government has announced a complete toll fee waiver for cars and SUVs entering Mumbai via all five toll plazas in the city. With this move, cars and SUVs entering Mumbai from October 14, will have to pay no toll fee. The announcement came ahead of the upcoming assembly election in the state. Also, this toll fee waiver came as a major relief for the people travelling in and out of Mumbai ahead of Diwali.

There are five entry and exit points in Mumbai, which people use while travelling to and from other regions. These are Dahisar, LBS Road-Mulund, Eastern Express Highway-Mulund, Airoli Creek Bridge and Vashi. Due to the high pressure of vehicles at these entry and exit points, commuters often face congestion and complain of long waiting times. However, with the toll fee waiver announcement by the Maharashtra government, the congestion is expected to be reduced significantly.

While announcing the decision, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that this move would save time and fuel. He also claimed that this will reduce environmental pollution as well. "It was a long pending demand to waive toll at Mumbai's entry points. Many activists, including I, had approached the court demanding the same… It is a masterstroke decision," Shinde said.

How cars and SUVs travelling to and from Mumbai will benefit

More than six lakh vehicles cross Mumbai daily and about 80 per cent of them are light motor vehicles, which include private cars and SUVs as well as cabs among others. The decision to toll fee waiver will benefit light motor vehicles, which include private cars and SUVs, vans, auto rickshaws, taxis, delivery vans and small trucks, which all lie in the category of LMVs.

The light motor vehicles were charged between ₹45 and ₹75 for entering Mumbai via any of the five toll plazas. From now on, the LMV owners won't have to pay this fee while entering the city. Also, this will reduce the vehicular congestion at the entry points reducing the overall travel time. The lack of congestion will result in lowered environmental pollution as well.

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