Raj Thackeray ups the ante on Fadnavis’s ‘no toll on cars’ claim, MNS targets booths | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI/THANE: Protests erupted at a few toll plazas on the fringes of Mumbai as MNS upped the ante and threatened to burn down toll booths after deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis‘s claim on Sunday that his government had waived toll for cars and smaller vehicles across the state.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleged on Monday that toll booths are a means of livelihood for politicians in the state. “I have sought an appointment with CM Eknath Shinde in the next couple of days. Will see what comes out of that meeting, otherwise, keeping the deputy chief minister’s statement in mind, MNS workers will gather at every toll booth and ensure that four-, three- and two-wheelers are not charged toll. If we are stopped, we will set it ablaze,” said Thackeray.
Soon after, party activists led by Thane MNS leader Avinash Jadhav were seen halting motorists near the toll booths at Mulund on the Eastern Express Highway and urging them not to pay toll. “Why should motorists disobey the DCM and pay taxes? We are not causing any disturbance to motorists or traffic but are only asking them to follow what Fadnavis has said,” he said.
Amid the fracas, a burning tyre was thrown into a toll booth, but nobody was injured and the fire was quickly put out. “While police were busy controlling the traffic and the mob, a miscreant threw a burning autorickshaw tyre into a toll booth tried to flee. Our men arrested him,” said an officer of Navghar police. Jadhav and four-five supporters were detained and the police filed FIRs against 15-16 persons in all.
In Navi Mumbai, around 15 MNS activists were detained for protesting at the three toll plazas at Vashi, Airoli, and Shirdon in Panvel taluka. “The MNS activists prevented the toll operators from levying toll charges, leading to the police detaining the agitators,” said Mahesh Jadhav, an MNS office-bearer.
In a bid to stamp out the controversy, Fadnavis‘s office clarified in a statement: “As many as 12 toll booths were closed via an order that came into effect from midnight May 31, 2015. There were 38 PWD toll booths in the state, of which 11 were closed, while of the 53 toll booths of the Maharashtra Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), one was closed.”
Cars, jeeps and state transport buses are exempted from paying tolls at those 52 booths, the statement added. Officers said Mumbai Entry Point (MEP) is a vendor of MSRDC.
The toll anger was fanned as actress Tejaswini Pandit tweeted Fadnavis’s video while urging Thackeray to save motorists from the extortion, if Fadnavis’s statement was true.
Thackeray claimed many politicians “some share from the money collected at toll booths every day, every week and every month. Hence, toll booths will never be closed down, and you will also never get good roads”.
(With inputs by George Mendonca in Navi Mumbai)