With Swipe at Gujarat, Aaditya Thackeray Demands Rollback of Rs 250 Toll on Mumbai's New Atal Setu

Why is Maharashtra being forced to pay for tolls even as it is ceding industries and investments to Gujarat, Shiv Sena-UBT leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray questioned on Thursday as the Eknath Shinde government cleared a proposal to charge Rs 250 as one-way toll for cars on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), now to be known as ‘Atal Setu’.

“After sending away the employment-creation industries to the neighbouring favourite state, atleast keep the MTHL Toll Free… Why is it that Maharashtra pays… pays taxes, pays toll, pays for their dirty politics… and their favourite state, our neighbour, is forced to accept the industries and investment even when it isn’t ready for it? (sic),” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The MTHL or Atal Setu is the country’s longest sea bridge that will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 12. A passenger car will be charged Rs 250 as one-way toll, while charges for return journey as well as for daily and frequent travellers will be different, officials have said.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had initially proposed Rs 500 as one-way toll for the sea bridge, while the Urban Development Department suggested the toll to be fixed at Rs 350. The Maharashtra Cabinet finally signed off on Rs 250 as toll for one-way journey.

According to sources, this amount shall be increased every year by 6%. For hassle-free commute, daily and monthly passes will also be made available for commuters.

The 21.8km bridge, officially the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, will connect Mumbai to Navi Mumbai and has been built at a cost of Rs 17,800 crore. It is a 6-lane sea link, with 16.50 kilometre of the stretch on sea and 5.50 km on land. Officials say Mumbaikars will now be able to reach Navi Mumbai in 20-25 minutes as opposed to the 45 minutes it takes via the old Mumbai-Navi Mumbai road.

In 2014, when the foundation of the project was laid, the estimated cost was Rs 11,000 crore, which rose to Rs 17,800 crore by 2023, a rise of 61.81% till its completion. By September, 96% of the sea bridge was completed but the remaining work took around three months.

Guardian Minister of Mumbai City Deepak Kesarkar has claimed this is the cheapest per kilometre toll across the country. But Mumbaikars, who are already paying tolls on all entry and exit points of the city, have been demanding reduction in tolls on the Bandra-Worli sea link that connects South Mumbai and the western suburbs.

The under-works Coastal Road, which will likely help ease traffic congestion in the suburbs, was envisaged to be toll-free during the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA regime, but the current dispensation may levy a toll when the road it opened to the public.