The Aarey Milk colony road, one of the oldest and most frequently used east-west connections, will finally be upgraded at a cost of Rs 135 crore using the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.
The state government, sensing an opportunity to make a profit without investment, will take 50% of the toll collected as revenue. It further proposed that in case usage by vehicles is higher than estimates, it will corner 75% of the toll revenue. The cost of reconstructing the road will be recovered through the toll to be collected over 16 years, three months and 20 days. The road will be commissioned 18 months after it is taken up for an overhaul.
With the toll amount undecided, transport experts said it cannot be a money-making opportunity for the government, especially as it is not making any investment. Sources said the 50% government share implied that the proposed toll will be double what is justified and is an attempt to fleece Mumbaikars. A 75% government share implies a toll that is four times the justified amount. The current toll charged at Aarey naka is Rs 15 for one-way travel.
Bhartiya Janata Party MLA Yogesh Sagar, a member of the state legislature’s public accounts committee who is fighting to reduce the toll on the Bandra-Worli sea link, said, “The government is not a business enterprise. It is a service-providing institution. It cannot collect any portion of the toll. If the revenue is more, it should pass on the benefits to motorists and reduce the period for which the toll is to be paid.”
Rishi Agarwal, an activist, said there were complaints across Maharashtra on the arbitrary toll being charged. “The toll is inevitable but the government must set up an expert panel to decide on the amount and duration, to ensure it is fair,” he said.
The public works department (PWD) has decided to concretize two lanes and carrying out asphalting of a third lane of the 7.2-km road that links the western express highway to the Powai naka and Marol naka, which lead to the eastern express highway. The main road and network of internal roads spread over 44.45 km are to be improved through the BOT method. The main road is currently seven metres wide, with the central portion of asphalt and side strips of murum.
The Shiv Sena had last year held a protest and shut down the toll naka for a fortnight to protest against the road’s poor condition. They said the bad condition of the road made navigation extremely difficult and vehicles moved at a snail’s pace and caused traffic jams on the western express highway during peak hours.
The PWD has acknowledged that the road is not motorable. “Comprehensive repair of the road is not possible owing to poor funds. Hence it was decided to improve the road and internal network through private participation,”said R T Gaikwad, deputy secretary.
