Maharashtra Government to soon bring in new toll policy

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said on Thursday the government would draft a new toll policy, which eliminates its collection on smaller roads and makes budgetary provisions, in order to pacify supporters of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and stop anti-toll agitation.

"In September, we had started working towards implementing a new toll policy for Maharashtra and it has been put forward to the infrastructure subcommittee cabinet. There has been a meeting already and I think the various issues that have been raised during this agitation, have been included in this toll policy," he Chavan.

Earlier in the day, he had met the chief of the MNS, Raj Thackeray and discussed the contentious toll collection issue.

The supporters of the MNS had initiated protests, which led to state-wide road blockades.

MNS supporters on Wednesday protested against collection of toll tax in Mumbai and Nagpur city, as they were seen shouting slogans and police had to struggle to get a grip of the situation.

Thackeray was put under preventive arrest while he was on his way to the protest site.

Police had issued a notice to Thackeray on February 11 warning him against participating in the agitation.

The anti-toll protesters were also detained by the police on the highway.

Rapid Action Force and State Reserve Police personnel were deployed in large numbers to deal with the stir.

The MNS supporters vandalised toll plazas across the province and disrupted traffic on Tuesday.

Earlier, MNS chief Raj Thackeray was booked for allegedly inciting violence and endangering public peace, after his party workers vandalised toll booths in the state.