Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 30: Office bearers of Kinnigoli regional truck and bus owners association have warned of holding strong protest if the personnel manning the highway tollgate near National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) at Suratkal do not stop the practice of levying different charges for vehicles based in Suratkal and Kinnigoli.

Addressing a press conference at Kinnigoli on Tuesday December 29, office bearers of the above organization, K U Moosabba, Neelayya Kotian, and Burton Sequeira, said that buses, trucks and tempos moving to the city from Kinnigoli are being charged exorbitantly as compared to those from Suratkal. "Per day charges for trucks and buses have been fixed at Rs 230 while monthly charges have been fixed at Rs 5,100. But vehicles based in Suratkal in the neighbourhood are charged considerably less. Buses have to pay Rs 30,000 quarterly as road tax, and Rs 60,000 annually as insurance premium. The toll charges have come as a last straw on camel's back," they claimed.

They said that members of the organizations are aware that a number of buses and trucks are allowed to move around without payment of any charges. They warned that the organization will stop their buses, trucks, and tempos in front of Suratkal tollgate within a week from now in a bid to thrash out a solution for these problems. They said that buses and trucks moving to the city from Kinnigoli are agreeable to pay only Rs 50 per day and not more.