From December 12 motorists from Nashik, Pimpalgaon, Chandwad and Niphad will have to shell out a toll for their journey on the highway between Pimpalgaon and Gonde on Mumbai-Agra highway.    

The PNG Tollway, which has developed this 60-km stretch, has decided to waiver the toll fee only to residents within 20-km radius of the PNG Toll Plaza at Pimpalgaon and not all vehicles registered in Nashik district.    

A notification in this regard was published by the organisation on November 25. With over 75 per cent of the work of widening the highway being complete, the construction company, which widened national highway number 3 on Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, had earlier decided to start the toll collection from October 2.    

However, just a couple of hours before the toll collection was to commence, leaders of different political parties stormed the toll plaza in protest contending that they would not pay the toll fee until the entire work of the road widening was complete.