Mumbai: With an eye on the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, the BJP-led Mahayuti on Tuesday decided not to hike the toll tax till December 2025 on Atal Setu. The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnasiv. Though the Urban Development Department (UDD) had proposed to not hike the toll tax for two years, the state cabinet decided to maintain the toll tax for a year.The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva, popularly known as Atal Setu, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Lok Sabha general election on January 12, 2024. The Atal Setu,which is the longest sea bridge in the country, connects Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, which is also called its satellite city. The Government’s announcement brings a major relief to the commuters especially those commuters who are travelling for Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust every day.In January 2024, the UDD had proposed a toll rate of Rs 350 while MMRDA had suggested Rs 500 per trip. Subsequently, the Eknath Shinde led government had decided to collect Rs 250 per trip from the LMV (Light Motor Vehicle) by giving concessions to the commuters. The local body elections including BMC and Navi Municipal Corporations are likely to be held this year. The commencement of the Atal Setu had completed a year in this month. The setu had been used by more than 83 lakh vehicles. A senior official said that the UDD had proposed the toll concession for around two years- from February 1st 2025 to December 31st 2026- before the cabinet. But the chief minister has decided to give extension till December 31st 2025. “It means that commuters will have to pay Rs 250 for using Atal Setu till December 2025,” he said.The sea bridge facilitated the movement of 83,06,009 vehicles over the past year. The average traffic recorded was fewer than 23,000 vehicles per day, which is nearly half of the initiation projections of handling more than 56,000 vehicles daily.
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