Chandigarh, Dec 31 (IANS): Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda on Tuesday said people of the state are being looted in the name of toll tax as he pointed out that in many cases the toll tax “continues even after companies have recovered many times more than the investment they made”.

Giving the example of the Ghaggar toll plaza, Hooda said the cost of road construction is Rs 2,747 crore and the collection is Rs 4,489 crore, yet the toll is not being closed.

He said thousands of crores are being looted from the people in the name of toll in this way.

He said the latest information revealed through RTI has made it clear that in collusion with the BJP government, companies are making profits many times more than the cost in the name of toll tax. “The common people are being hit by taxes and inflation and the government is ignoring everything even after seeing it,” Hooda said in a statement.

Hooda said currently 57 toll plazas are engaged in the collection. “The time period of tax collection of Ghaggar and Gharaunda toll has ended. The companies have earned much more profit from there than the cost. Despite this, the collection of crores from the public continues there. There are many such toll plazas in the state, whose time period has either ended or the cost and profit have been recovered.”

“According to the rules, they should be closed, but due to the connivance of the government, people are still being looted,” he said.

“The rule is also that there should be a distance of at least 60 km between two tolls, but in Haryana, from GT Road to Sohna and Gurgaon, there are many such tolls where illegal collection is being collected,” Hooda said.

“The surprise is that the government is not even ready to reply to RTI queries till when these illegal collections continue,” he said. He demanded that this unrestrained loot from the public should stop.