Maharashtra wants Centre to pay Rs 142-crore compensation

The state government has sent a bill of Rs 142 crore to the Centre for keeping 41 toll booths on highways shut for 21 days after demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes on November 8 last year. Fourteen booths directly controlled by the public works department and 27 booths operated by its undertaking, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), were closed during the period from November 9 to November 30.
“We will be required to compensate the contractors for loss of their revenue during this period. But considering the fact that the state’s finances are under tremendous strain, it would not be possible for the state to directly compensate the contractors,” said a senior official from the public works department.
Of the Rs 142 crore demanded by the state government, Rs 102 crore is for toll booths operated by MSRDC, which include the ones on Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai Entry Points. Following in the footsteps of the Centre, the state had announced free movement of vehicles on state highways up to November 18, which was later extended to November 30.
“If the Centre doesn’t agree to foot the bill, we will have to extend the period of toll collection as compensation. But since that extension will be at the end of the contract period, the contractor will end up earning much more than what he lost,” the official pointed out.