More than one lakh motorist who were left stranded in a massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway earlier this month are soon going to see their toll money refunded. A senior official from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation said on Sunday that a sum of Rs 5.16 crore will be refunded in total.
This comes after the disruption that was caused due to an overturned gas tanker on the Khopoli stretch of the expressway on February 3, which brought traffic to a near standstill for approximately 33 hours.
33-hour traffic disruption after tanker mishap
The accident brought vehicular traffic to a grinding halt across several kilometres of the busy Mumbai-Pune expressway. Thousands of commuters were left stranded for hours on end, with reports emerging of shortages of drinking water, food, and other essentials as the hours ticked by.
Also Read | Bomb scare in Delhi: Army Public School, Air Force Bal Bharati evacuated, massive security sweep ongoing
In response, an immediate suspension of tolls was ordered. However, by the time the order was issued and implemented, tolls had already been collected from several FASTag accounts.
Rs 5.16 crore to be credited to FASTag accounts
The official has confirmed that the entire amount collected after the suspension order has been issued will be refunded. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation will be dealing with the refund of the Rs 5.16 crore.
"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," PTI quoted an official as saying.
Also Read | Cylinder blast turns routine fire call into inferno: 14 injured in Majlis Park blaze
The amount will be refunded directly to the FASTag accounts of the motorists who were affected by the accident over the next few days. The refund will be applicable for tolls on both highways, and the tolling company has been asked to provide the FASTag transaction details for 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.
