Ahmedabad: In protest against the continued collection of toll tax on the Vadodara-Halol and Adalaj-Mehsana roads, despite recovering several times the construction costs, 16 lakh commercial vehicle owners in Gujarat will refuse to pay tolls on these roads starting December 21. The Akhil Gujarat Truck Transport Association stated that toll collection on these roads began in 2001-02 and alleged that while the roads were built at a cost of ₹515.19 crore, the toll collected so far is nearly ₹3,000 crore.

The Vadodara-Halol road was constructed at a cost of ₹170.64 crore, and the Adalaj-Mehsana road cost ₹344.25 crore. Despite this, the association claims that toll rates on these roads are nearly 1.5 times the standard rates charged across India. The roads have already generated ₹2,574 crore in toll revenue, yet the companies cite operational losses and have sought an extension for toll collection until 2040, even though their original concession was valid only until 2030.

The association has appealed to the government, arguing that the construction costs have already been recovered and that the toll tax should be abolished. They further highlighted that transportation costs now account for up to 15% of companies’ overall expenses, significantly impacting the industry nationwide. DeshGujarat