Mumbai, Jan 26 (Midday News): Pune-based RTI activist Sanjay Shirodkar on Monday alleged that toll operator Mumbai Entry Point Limited (MEPL) which collects the toll at five entry points to Mumbai has shared incorrect information about the toll collection.
Talking to the media in the city, Shirodkar alleged that MEPL had shared details of around only 60 per cent of vehicles that pass through the five toll plazas to Mumbai and as such the state government was unaware of the data of the remaining 40 per cent vehicles that passed through the toll plazas including at Airoli, Vashi, Dahisar, Eastern Express Highway near Mulund and on LBS toll plaza.
It should be noted that motorists coming to Mumbai through these five toll plazas have to pay toll. In the month of September 2014 mid-day had done a story (Toll operator earns back advance paid, but you pay toll for 12 more years). Shirodkar also distributed a paper from the MSRDC report which it had brought out in July 2015. The aim of the study that was conducted by MSRDC was to find out the vehicle count at each of the toll plaza on a daily and monthly basis. "I have done a detailed study of the subject and I have observed that the monthly report that was submitted to MSRDC by MEPL from the year 2013 has many mistakes and wrong information. I have compared the MSRDC and MEPL reports and what I observed was the fact that there is a difference in the vehicle count number which ranges between 27 to 50 per cent," Shirodkar alleged. He also claimed that there was no proper mention about the details of the monthly passes and the vehicles that are exempted. "MEPL has said that it earned a revenue of Rs 1175 crore in 2010 but when we did the calculation based on MSRDC report, the revenue earned by the toll operator was over Rs 2600 crore." Shirodkar further claimed. He has also said the if the action against the toll operator is not taken then he would approach the court.