New toll plaza on highway starts functioning: Bantwal goes on protest
Mounesh Vishwakarma
Pics: Kishore Peraje
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)
Bantwal, Dec 5: Several political parties and local groups on Thursday December 5 raised their voice against the new toll plaza that has started functioing at Brahmarakootlu on national highway 75, objecting to collection of toll at two points on the highway.
As per the directives of the highway authority, toll collection was to be started from the midnight of December 4 as a consequence of which vehicle drivers till Panemangalore bridge would be charged toll at two different places within a distance of 4 kilometers. While toll collection at Brahmarakootlu has started, the toll collection at Panemangalore that existed for the last ten years is set to continue. This has become a subject of much debate.
The national highway authority which had said that the toll collection at Panemangalore would stop once toll plaza at Brahmarakootlu starts operating, has now changed its tone and has proceeded to collect it in both the places. This has caused anguish among various groups. Besides, collection of toll even before completion of four lane road work at B C Road has made the drivers all the more angry.
The national highway authority has called special technicians from Belgaum and installed computers at the toll plaza. Speed breakers were constructed on Wednesday December 4 near the toll plaza to control speed.
A group of youth has been assigned for collection of toll and suitable training was given to them on Wednesday. Three units have been placed beside the road, out of which one will be used as the office of the toll plaza and the remaining two will be used as women’s and men’s toilets.
Series of objections
Soon after the notification was issued from national highway authority regarding the collection of toll from December 4 midnight, Bantwal BJP, SDPI and South Kanara tourist and van drivers' association expressed strong opposition to the move and threatened to protest against it.
Thungappa Bangera, former zilla panchayat vice president said that collection of toll in two places was not fair and joined the protest to express his opposition.
The Bantwal BJP legislative assembly constituency has sent a petition to the deputy commissioner requesting to collect toll only in one place. They have decried collection of toll in two places and protested at Panemangalore on Wednesday.
Social Democratic party of India also opposed the move and protested on December 5 led by party's constituency committee president Sahul Hameed S H. They termed the collection of toll in two places as illegal and said that the move was bound to inconvenience the public.
The tourist car and van drivers' association of Panemangalore too has opposed the move, and has urged to remove the new tollgate and to collect toll at only one place. The association has threatened to go on protest on December 10.
New numbers for two highways
Soon after the collection of toll at Brahmarakootlu started, the numbers allotted to the highways have also changed. Suratkal-B C Road four lane national highway is numbered as NH 75 and B C Road-Hassan four lane highway that is being constructed is numbered as NH 73. A board to this effect is put near Brahmarakootlu tollgate. It is said that as the highway numbers are different, the tollgates will collect toll separately.