The Maharashtra government has been directed to execute the toll exemptions fully for the EV on the highways within eight days. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar gave this order during the assembly session in Nagpur after a series of complaints from the owners of the EVs claiming that tolls were still deducted from them despite the official policy, which allowed exemptions for electric vehicles. The Speaker called the toll collection “illegal” and underlined the need for an immediate correction of the system.
Immediate Action Ordered
The Assembly Speaker’s order states that the state authorities must meet immediately and that the amounts of toll mistakenly collected will be refunded to the owners of electric vehicles. The order is meant to rectify the enforcement shortcomings and ensure that the state’s policy that backs green mobility is executed properly at all the toll plazas.
Exemption on Key Routes
The Maharashtra state government has given officials the assurance that the EV toll exemption will be granted to the significantly congested routes. The main corridors that will benefit include the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Samruddhi Mahamarg, and the Atal Setu. Applying the exemption on these routes will make travel much easier for the thousands of EV drivers who use them.
System Integration Failure
The problem lies in the technical dysfunction in the backend integration and the data synchronisation gaps between the FASTag systems at toll plazas and the VAHAN vehicle registration database, which resulted in wrongful classification of EVs. This error led to the system not automatically applying the mandated toll exemption.
Refunds and New Mechanisms
In furtherance of the order, Speaker Narwekar has laid down the law for the creation of a refund mechanism for the tolls already collected from the EV users. It is anticipated that the state government will soon come up with new operational guidelines that will enable toll operators to reprogram their systems, meet completely, and issue the required refunds within the given period.
Charging Infrastructure Focus
In addition to the toll exemption, the Speaker urged the state to accelerate the expansion of the EV charging station network. He highlighted that the number of EV users is on the rise, and he insisted that the availability of charging points be increased and their quality improved as a means of assuring the infrastructure and demonstrating Maharashtra’s commitment to a cleaner transportation ecosystem.
