Mumbai: Even after the Maharashtra government announced a five-year toll waiver for electric cars and electric buses on major expressways, including the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, and Atal Setu, motorists continue to face toll collection at plazas, revealing a gap between policy and implementation.
GR Promised Waiver and Wider EV Push
A Government Resolution (GR) dated May 2025 stated that electric vehicles (EVs) would be exempted from paying toll on these major routes for the next five years. It also assured that similar exemptions would soon extend to all state highways under the Public Works Department (PWD).
The GR had added that the waiver amount would be reimbursed to the PWD by the transport department and emphasized the need for strengthening EV charging infrastructure across Maharashtra.
Motorists Complain of Continued Toll Collection
However, the situation on the ground appears different. Advocate Prakash Salsingekar, while traveling on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in his electric car on May 31, was asked to pay toll despite the government’s announcement. He raised the issue in a letter to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC), alleging that toll contractors were ignoring the GR and collecting money from EV owners.
MSRDC Cites Pending Notification
In response, the MSRDC clarified that the toll collection process is governed by notifications issued by the PWD. “The Government of Maharashtra, through a Government Resolution dated 23.05.2025, has prepared a policy to provide toll exemption for electric vehicles. However, the notification for granting toll exemption is yet to be issued by the government,” the MSRDC stated in its reply.
The corporation further explained that while a proposal for toll exemption on the Mumbai Expressway and Samruddhi Mahamarg has been submitted to the PWD and is in the final stages of approval, instructions to toll contractors will only be issued once the official notification is released.
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EV Owners Left in Limbo
While speaking to advocate Salsingekar, he said , “For now, EV owners will have to continue paying toll charges despite the state’s policy announcement, which can be understood from the response that i have received from the MSRDC. Toll will have to be paid until the government issues the formal notification, despite there being a GR in place.”
