More than one lakh motorists stranded in a 33-hour traffic gridlock on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway earlier this month will receive a cumulative toll refund of Rs 5.16 crore, a senior Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) official said on Sunday.
On February 3, a gas tanker overturned on the Khopoli stretch of the Expressway, bringing traffic to a standstill for several kilometres. The disruption lasted 33 hours, leaving commuters without access to water, food and other basic amenities.
Following the mishap, the administration ordered an immediate suspension of toll collection. However, by then, toll charges had already been deducted from several FASTag accounts.
“It has been decided to refund the entire amount collected from vehicle owners even after the order to halt toll collection was issued. The refund of Rs 5.16 crore will be processed by MSRDC. The amount will be directly credited to FASTag accounts of affected vehicle owners in the next few days,” the official said.
The refund will cover toll collected on both carriageways of the Expressway. The toll operator has been asked to provide detailed FASTag transaction data to facilitate verification.
“Some transactions may have been automatically processed before the toll plaza barriers were fully opened despite instructions to stop collection. All such transactions are being scrutinised and the amounts will be returned to the concerned motorists,” the official said.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, one of the country’s busiest corridors linking the state capital with Pune, witnesses heavy vehicular movement daily. The February 3 incident triggered massive congestion, prompting criticism over traffic management and emergency response.
The MSRDC’s decision to reimburse the deducted toll amount is expected to benefit over one lakh vehicle owners affected during the prolonged disruption.
Also read: Mumbai-Pune Expressway reopens after 32-hour shutdown
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