In its quest to build world class road network across the state, the Maharashtra government has decided to build toll-based road projects coverirng a staggering length worth 21,000kms, Public Works Department (PWD) minister Chandrakant Patil said, elaborating that the Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had declared the doing away with toll-based road projects entirely was not possible, the state government, which waived off toll payments for smaller vehicles, had labelled it a step towards a toll-free Maharashtra and now the development made it crystal clear that toll-based road projects are here to stay; albeit in a new avatar. He said the projects would be offered on a hybrid annuity model, where the government would contribute 40% of the capital investment on deferred payment basis, while the remaining 60% investment would initially be made by the concessionaire and that the contractor would be allowed to recover its capital cost, along with 15% profit and 12% interest, through toll collections and this indicated that the new toll contracts would be more transparent, he insisted.
