Bantwal: High-Handedness of Booth Operators Takes its 'Toll' on Commuter
 
Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (RD/CN)
 
Bantwal, Aug 18: Tense situation prevailed for sometime at Panemangalore tollgate here on Wednesday August 17 when the toll booth operators attacked a car driver following a misunderstanding.

The situation was brought under control after the intervention of the police, even as verbal abuse between the car driver and the toll booth staff progressed to assault.

The car owner and driver Nazeer, a resident of Kukkaje, near here, was taking home his wife and their newborn baby from the hospital. Nazeer had paid the toll charges but the toll booth staff laid a barricade assuming that the former had not paid the charges. 

While Nazeer was clarifying the issue, the other staff members hurled verbal abuse and the issue snowballed into a physical fight.
 
Acting circle inspector Vivekanand and other policemen maintained the law and order situation.
 
The high-handedness of toll booth operators has become a matter of concern ever since the toll gate began functioning. Despite the taluk Working Journalists’ Association conducting a campaign to educate the motorists and toll booth operators on cordial relations, such cases are occurring often.