Activists of the Shiv Sena staged an agitation against toll collection on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and forced one of the toll booths to shut.
Activists and citizens led by Palghar MP Rajendra Gavit carried banners and placards and shouted slogans against toll collection. Talking to reporters, Gavit said traffic gets held up on the highway for four to five hours before and after monsoon and citizens have to face severe problems. While it takes three to three and half hours to travel from Surat to Virar, it takes people four to five hours to reach Ghodbunder Road (Thane) from the Vasai-Virar area in Palghar, he said. The situation is problematic for pregnant women, heart patients or those suffering from medical emergencies, he said, claiming that 55 people had lost their lives while travelling from Virar to Ghodbunder in the last six months. Gavit further said he held meetings with municipal commissioners, police commissioner, district superintendent of police, collector, and senior officials, but there was no outcome, which is why he staged the protest. ‘’For the time being, they have started filling potholes. But it will not solve the problems. The road needs to be repaired completely,’’ he said, adding that a meeting will be held with officials of the NHAI. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has assured that substandard road works won’t be tolerated and FIRs will be registered against contractors who are found to be carrying out substandard work, and they will be blacklisted, Gavit said.