Pleasant Surprise For Motorists, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Toll Will Be Rs 250

The Maharashtra government has come out with a pleasant surprise for motorists as it has announced that the toll tax for cars using the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will be Rs 250 for a single trip. It was expected that the toll amount of Rs 500, as recommended by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), would be endorsed by the state government. The Centre’s conditionalities, too, stipulate the toll charge of Rs 500. However, at the cabinet meet on January 4, the state has decided to charge Rs 250 for a one-way journey that would take merely 20 minutes against the present duration of hours needed to travel the distance. Named ‘Atal Setu,’ the fuel required to cross the link will be just a litre against the present requirement of around seven litres to travel by the existing road. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate the 22-km link to the nation on 12 January in a grand function, to be held at the location of the upcoming Navi Mumbai international airport. The time and cost overrun have affected the project which was scheduled to be ready in 2022 at a cost of about Rs 18,000 crore. Now, it is estimated to cost over Rs 21000 crore.  Modi, too, is expected to make some major announcement at the inaugural in view of the impending Lok Sabha election later this year.