Maharashtra: Transport dept proposes to shut RTO border posts; move entails Rs 504 crore cost

Mumbai, May 11 (PTI) The Maharashtra transport department has proposed the closure of all 22 RTO border check posts in the state, said minister Pratap Sarnaik on Sunday.

A “positive” report has been submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office to permanently close down all the Regional Transport Office (RTO) border posts after addressing administrative hurdles, his office said in a release.

According to the release, the state has decided to shut down all border check posts as per the instructions of the Centre and in line with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime directives.

The department is now awaiting the approval of its proposal, said the release, quoting Sarnaik, the transport minister.

“With this, Maharashtra joins 18 other states in adopting a modern, paperless, and technology-driven system of transport monitoring,” Sarnaik said.

The decision will ease movement for transporters, improve road safety, and align with the Centre's ‘Ease of Doing Business’ initiative, he said.

The release said that a compensation of Rs 504 crore will need to be paid to Adani Pvt Ltd, the agency appointed for managing integrated check posts under a public-private partnership (PPP). After the compensation is paid, the associated technology and infrastructure will become the state’s property.

The release said that the border check posts, established in 1966, were initially meant to regulate vehicle movement, enforce transport norms, and collect road taxes. However, with the implementation of GST and advances in digital monitoring, the need for physical check posts has significantly reduced, it said.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had earlier advised Maharashtra to phase out such posts, and CM Devendra Fadnavis subsequently endorsed the move, the release said.

Transport unions had also been demanding the closure of the RTO border check posts.

Preparation of a roadmap for the closure of border check posts was also added in the Fadnavis government’s 100-day programme to assess the performance of ministries.

Maharashtra has 22 check posts along its borders with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana and Chhattisgarh. The state had kick-started modernisation and integration of border check posts on PPP mode in 2009.

A few neighbouring states have already closed their border check posts, the release added. PTI KK NR

Source: PTI