Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Nov 11: Union and state ministers, local MP and officials are postponing the date of closure of the Surathkal toll gate.
The toll gate protest committee is fighting since six years. Now they have resorted to a day and night sit-in protest in spite of the warning given by the MP, officials of NHAI, Police and the DC.
Officials of NHAI are not giving a damn to people’s representative’s promise to the public. They are taking their own time. In reality, the highway ministry has come out with a notification at all in this regard.
NHAI had taken up work on the four lane project from Surathkal to B C Road in 2004. M/s Ercon International had taken up the tender and work continued till 2010 in the midst of many hurdles. Though Ercon was a subsidiary of the government, it started collecting toll at Surathkal and Brahmarakootlu.
Earlier, the toll gate was supposed to come up at NMPT. However, due to fierce protests by locals, it got shifted to NITK.
Brahmarakootlu toll collection began in 2013. After six months, construction of the Suratkal toll plaza began. However, due to the locals, MLAs and MCC, a toll plaza could not be established.
Later, Navyuga Company started four-lane work from Kundapur and Nanthoor to Talapady. When the work was in progress itself, it started collecting toll at the Hejmady plaza.
Initially, protests were staged demanding the removal of NITK toll gate as Hejmady toll gate was readied. The NHAI officials then gave an assurance that they will merge NITK with Hejmady.
In December 2015, toll collection began in NITK under police protection.
Hejmady toll collection began in February 2017. In Surathkal everyday there were protests. Later it was decided to allow white board vehicles bearing the registration number KA 19 (registered in Mangaluru) free of cost.
Protesters who did not pay heed to the assurances gheraoed the toll gate on October 18. Now they have begun an indefinite protest from October 28.
On February 28, union minister Nitin Gadkari, who visited Mangaluru assured that he will find a solution to the Suratkal toll gate closure.
On March 15, Gadkari held a meeting at Delhi and decided to establish Surathkal toll gate inside NMPA and collect toll only from vehicles entering there.
On March 22, Gadkari said that one of the toll gates within a distance of 60 km of each other will be closed and said that it will be implemented in three months.
Nalin Kumar Kateel said people who did not protest for the toll gate when it was set up in 2014, are protesting now.
Acting DC Dr Kumara said that gazette notification for closure of Surathkal toll gate is awaited by NHAI and the process is on.
Project director of NHAI Lingegowda said that he is not the competent authority on the toll gate closure issue.
Munir Katipalli, president of protest committee said, “If people’s representatives were committed, there was no need to prolong the toll gate closure issue for so long. However, they are lying with public due to pressure from Navyuga Company. We will not stop our protest till the toll gate is closed.”