Mon Oct 14 07:00:15 UTC 2024: ## Mumbai Toll Booths Go Toll-Free for Light Motor Vehicles Ahead of Maharashtra Elections

**Mumbai, October 14, 2024:** In a move that has sparked controversy just days before the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced the complete removal of tolls for light motor vehicles at all five entry points to Mumbai. The decision, which takes effect from midnight tonight, will benefit daily commuters using smaller vehicles.

The toll booths at Dahisar, Mulund, Vashi, Airoli, and Tinhanth Naka previously charged a fee of Rs 45 per vehicle.

Shinde’s announcement has been met with mixed reactions. While MNS leader Raj Thackeray praised the government for listening to the demands of citizens, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized it as a “desperate measure” aimed at diverting attention from the state’s deteriorating law and order situation.

“Light vehicles will get toll-free at all the five toll booths entering Mumbai from midnight today,” Thackeray said, congratulating “my Maharashtra soldiers” for their efforts in achieving this. He also stressed the need for transparency in toll transactions and ensuring that roads are toll-free where money for road works is collected.

Chaturvedi, however, sees the decision as a last-ditch attempt by the Shinde government to appease voters before the elections. “Desperate measure just hours before election code of conduct shows that Mahajhoothi government knows their days are numbered,” she wrote on X.

The toll-free entry for light motor vehicles is expected to provide significant relief for commuters who travel daily to Mumbai. However, the timing of the announcement, coming on the eve of the Assembly elections, raises questions about its political motivations.

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