Pune: Public Works Minister Ravindra Chavan has clarified that there will be no extension granted for toll collection on the Pune-Satara highway.
The company responsible for the highway was awarded the project on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis for a period from 2010 to 2023, a total of 24 years.
However, no extension has been granted for toll collection privileges. Instead, the company was given additional time to complete the construction work. Chavan made this clear while responding to a question posed by a representative during the legislative session.
Minister Chavan stated, "The Pune-Satara highway project is under the jurisdiction of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The work was assigned to Reliance Infrastructure in 2010 under the BOT model.
Despite six extensions over the past decade, the project remains incomplete. As of now, 137.71 km out of the total 140.35 km have been completed. The remaining 2.64 km is delayed due to various issues.
The majority of the work was completed by April 30, 2022, and as of September 2023, the company has collected ₹3114.02 crore in toll fees.
Toll collection is carried out as per the NHAI's notifications dated December 5, 2008, and August 26, 2010. Originally, the six-lane project was estimated to cost ₹1724.55 crore with a concession period of 24 years, starting from October 2010."
Toll Hike Decisions Taken During Congress-NCP Tenure
Toll collection on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway (Pune-Satara) is governed by the NHAI notifications dated December 5, 2008, and August 26, 2010. There has been no increase in toll rates from April 1, 2023.
However, toll rates on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway and the old Pune-Mumbai highway were increased from April 1, 2023. These increases are determined based on Maharashtra government’s August 2004 and the central government’s September 2006 notifications.
Minister Chavan emphasized that the toll collection follows the government regulations, and therefore, there is no question of reversing the toll hike.
