Mumbai, Oct 9 (IANS): Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that from midnight of May 31, 2015, road toll tax collection was stopped at 11 of the 38 toll stations of the Public Works Department and one of out 53 of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation.

His detailed statement came after the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray on Monday demanded a complete waiver of road toll tax on small vehicles in the state failing which his party activists would ‘burn down’ toll booths.

Fadnavis said that small vehicles like cars, jeeps and State Transport buses at the remaining 27 (of the 38 run by PWD) and at 26 toll booths of the MSRDC have been exempted from the toll tax from the aforementioned date.

A decision to pay compensation in this regard was also taken in 2017 and its relevant Government Resolution was issued on Aug. 31, 2017, the Deputy CM added.

However, Raj Thackeray said that what Fadnavis said “is blatantly false”, and reiterated that the MNS men will stand at toll booths and allow small vehicles to pass without paying the toll taxes.

He reiterated that the toll tax is “the biggest scam” in Maharashtra, and warned that if the government tried to stop his men, then they would set fire to the concerned toll booths.

In response, MNS activists swooped on some toll booths in Mumbai, Raigad and other places and allowed small vehicles to cross over without shelling out the toll taxes.

Raj Thackeray also blamed several past state governments for only paying lip service to the issue of stopping toll, and demanded to know why the same companies keep getting the toll collection contract, where the money is going and what is being done with it.