Maharashtra
Govt Formulating Uniform Toll Policy To Ease National Highway Commuters’ Burden: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
New Delhi, Feb 3: The road transport ministry is working on a uniform toll policy to benefit national highway users, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday.
Gadkari also asserted that now India’s highway infrastructure matches that of the US. “We are working on a uniform toll policy. It will address the problem faced by the commuters,” he told media in an interview, without elaborating further.
Gadkari was responding to a question on simmering discontent among users of National Highways on account of high toll charges and sub-par road-user experience.
The longest-serving road transport and highways minister said that the ministry has decided to initially implement a barrier-less global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based toll collection system on national highways.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Gadkari said, has been taking the complaints made by commuters on social media very seriously and is taking strong action against contractors involved.
At present, while private cars constitute about 60 per cent of the traffic on national highways, the share of toll revenue from these vehicles is barely 20-26 per cent.
Toll charges have increased on highways even as more and more stretches have come under the tolling system over the past 10 years, often leading to rising user discontent.
Total toll collection in India touched Rs 64,809.86 crore in 2023-24, a 35 per cent rise over the previous year. The collection was Rs 27,503 crore in 2019-20.
All user fee plazas on National Highways are established as per the provision of National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 and the respective Concession Agreement.
Gadkari expressed confidence that in the current financial year, the highways ministry will surpass the previous record of 37 km per day highways construction in 2020-21 financial year.
Around 7,000 km highways been constructed so far in the current financial year. Traditionally, the pace of highways construction is higher in the February-March period.
The pace of highways construction in the country has touched a record 37 km per day in financial year 2020-21. The highways ministry had constructed 13,435.4 kilometres in 2020-21; 10,457.2 km in 2021-22; 10,331 km in 2022-23, and 12,349 km in 2023-24.
Gadkari also said this financial year, the ministry will award highways projects of 13,000 km. The ministry had awarded highways project of 8,580.5 km in 2023-24. The pace of highway project awards has slowed down considerably in the absence of a new scheme to replace the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
According to Gadkari, under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, the ministry had the power to award highway projects of up to Rs 3,000 crore, now the ministry cannot approve any fresh projects under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
“For any project worth above Rs 1,000 crore, now we need to take the approval of the Cabinet. So, we have sent projects worth Rs 50,000-Rs 60,000 crore to the Cabinet for approval,” he said. “Once we get clearance, we will start working on those projects,” the minister added.
With an aim to reduce delay cost overrun and disputes, an inter-ministerial panel that appraises major highway projects has told the ministry to accept bids only after acquiring 90 per cent of the land required for the projects and getting all statutory projects such as forest and environment.
“This condition has affected the pace of award of highway projects,” Gadkari said. The government approved Bharatmala Pariyojana in 2017, covering a length of 34,800 km to improve connectivity and reduce logistic costs in the country.
As of October 31, 2024, projects covering a total length of 26,425 km have been awarded and 18,714 km has been constructed. India has the second largest road network and its National Highways span a total length of 1,46,195 km, forming the primary arterial network of the country.
Maharashtra
BMC Census 2027 begins… Publicize widely to make it accessible to the general public: Additional Municipal Commissioner

Mumbai: The Mumbai Municipal Corporation system should be well prepared to make the 2027 Census accessible to the general public, which will be conducted on the basis of modern technology. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr. Vipin Sharma directed that the department-wise appointed committees should make special efforts for wider publicity and publicity of Census 2027. Publicity should be emphasized with the help of important, influential persons, Bollywood celebrities, sportspersons etc. to increase the participation of common citizens in the census process. Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr. Vipin Sharma gave this information. He was addressing a workshop organized at the Penguin Room of Virmata Jijabai Bhosle Botanical Garden and Zoo today (April 27, 2027). The first phase of the census enumeration will be conducted in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation area from May 1, 2026 to May 15, 2026. Apart from this, the house list and house census will start from May 16 to June 14, 2026. Today’s meeting was attended by Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwin Jodi. Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr. Avinash Dhakane, all Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners. Keep time free in advance to fill the information of very important, influential people, Bollywood celebrities, sportspersons in your department and fill it by May 1, 2026.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: MLA Abu Asim Azmi has demanded an inquiry from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis into the case of poisoning of watermelons in Pydhuni.

Mumbai: MLA Abu Asim Azmi has demanded an investigation into the deaths of four people due to suspected poisoning after eating watermelon in Peddhoni. He has expressed concern over the suspicious death of four members of the same family, which has created a sensation in Mumbai. Azmi has sent a letter saying that the incident that took place yesterday in the Mughal Building in Peddhoni area is not only sad but also a cause of concern for the entire society. Abdullah Dokadia, his wife and two daughters, four members of the same family, died within a few hours. A happy family was devastated. According to initial information, after eating watermelon, the family members started vomiting and diarrhea and within a few hours, all four lost their lives. The guests who attended the party at night did not suffer any pain, but only the health of the family who ate watermelon deteriorated. An investigation into this suspicious death is necessary. Nowadays, many complaints are coming out that harmful chemicals are being used to ripen fruits quickly or make them look fresh. There is a strong possibility that this incident could also be related to fruits processed with harmful chemicals. Therefore, an inquiry is necessary. Azmi said that an immediate and complete investigation into this matter is necessary through the Food and Drug Administration Department. There is a need to inspect the stock of the place from which this fruit was purchased and obtain the report of the Kalina Forensic Laboratory as soon as possible, so that such incidents can be avoided in the future. Also, since this family has suffered a loss and this huge loss cannot be replaced, they should be provided with compensation and financial support. The Chief Minister should pay personal attention to this and order a strict investigation by the concerned department. He further said that it is necessary to investigate the causes and reasons for the suspected food poisoning. If there was any poisoning in the watermelon, then an investigation should also be conducted and action should be taken against the culprits.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Two clever thieves arrested for stealing Rs 10 lakh from a parking lot in Kandivali, search continues for more

Mumbai: The police have claimed to have arrested the accused in the case of theft of Rs 10 lakh from a Mumbai woman. In Kandivali area, the complainant Nikhil Arvind Shah, 44, a resident of Malad, had taken Rs 10 lakh from Angariya and parked his scooter in the building. Meanwhile, two people fled with the cash in the trunk of the scooter. The police registered a case in this case and examined the CCTV footage to find the thieves. 124 CCTV footage of Kandivali was examined and the police team found the accused. Gujarat reached here and arrested both the accused and claimed to have recovered Rs 7 lakh out of the stolen Rs 10 lakh from their possession. The accused have confessed to the crime. Along with this, the accused have revealed during the investigation that they were helped in this theft by two more people, both of whom are also being searched by the police. Mumbai Police has solved the case by arresting the accused in this case. On the instructions of Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Additional Commissioner Shashi Kumar Meena and DCP Sandeep Jadhav solved the case.
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