India Morning News
Kolhapur : Former MP Raju Shetti has gone to the Mumbai High Court (Kolhapur bench) asking to stop toll collection on the Kolhapur–Pune National Highway. He said the road is full of potholes and in very poor shape. As per a Supreme Court order, toll cannot be charged if the road is not good.
Bench of Justices Sharmila Deshmukh and M. S. Karnik sent notices to the Maha Chief Secretary, Road Development Authority Secretary, and the District Collectors of Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, and Pune. They have been asked to attend next hearing.
In his petition, Shetti has named Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Road Development Authority, and four district collectors as responsible parties. He asked the court to stop toll collection until highway is repaired.
Two weeks ago, Supreme Court had scolded the National Highway Authority for bad roads in Kerala and rejected their plea. Referring to that case, Shetti said the Kolhapur–Pune highway is also in a very poor state.
240 km journey between Kolhapur and Pune should take 3 hours, but now it takes 7 hours because of potholes. Vehicles are getting damaged, and many accidents have happened in the rainy season. Travelers and transporters are facing big problems.
Still, around ₹1.5–2 crore is being collected as toll every day, but people are not getting any facilities. If the High Court stops toll collection, people in Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, and Pune will get relief.
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