Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 6: Alleging blatant violations of prescribed distance norms, a delegation of the Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samiti visited the under-construction Ganjimath toll plaza on Thursday and inspected the site. The committee accused the National Highways Authority of India of constructing toll plazas in close succession across the district, in violation of established rules.
The delegation, comprising representatives of various organisations, observed that toll plazas are required to maintain a minimum distance of 60 km between each other. However, the Ganjimath toll plaza is located just 33 km from the Brahmarakootlu toll gate and 34 km from the Talapady toll gate. It is also only 44 km away from the Hejamady toll gate. According to highway authority norms, toll collection centres cannot be established at such short distances, the committee stated.
“The construction of a toll plaza at Ganjimath is a shameless violation of rules and will lead to the exploitation of commuters. Any attempt to make the toll plaza operational without informing the public or holding a public hearing will not be accepted under any circumstances,” the delegation warned.
The committee further pointed out that toll plazas are under construction at Valalu near Uppinangady and at Panpila on the Beltangady road, including Ganjimath. With these, as many as six toll gates would become operational in the district, which would create a frightening situation for motorists on national highways, they said.
They alleged that the Valalu and Panpila toll plazas also violate distance norms. While the Valalu toll plaza is located 35 km from the Brahmarakootlu toll gate, the Madanthyaru toll plaza is barely 27 km away. “None of these toll gates even come close to the mandatory 60 km distance norm,” the committee alleged.
The delegation warned that once these toll gates become operational, crossing highways in the district would become as difficult as navigating a maze for motorists. They said this would instil fear among commuters and severely impact trade, business, and industrial activities in the district.
Expressing concern over the silence of elected representatives, the committee said it was surprising that district MPs and MLAs had not intervened despite the seriousness of the issue. They alleged that public representatives were indirectly giving consent to the construction of illegal toll gates by remaining silent.
The committee demanded that the district administration convene a public hearing involving citizens, elected representatives, and officials of the highways authority to ensure strict compliance with distance norms in toll plaza installations. Warning of intensified agitation, the delegation said that if authorities fail to respond, local struggle committees will be formed at all toll gates in March, and simultaneous padayatras will be organised to the highways authority office.
Those present in the delegation included Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samiti convener Munir Katipalla, Prantha Raitha Sangha leader K Yadav Shetty, CPI(M) Gurupura area secretary Sadashiva Das, labour leaders Nonnayya Gowda Edapadavu and Honnayya Ameen Tiruvailu, DYFI leader advocate Manoj Vamanjoor, Raitha Sangha’s Alvin Menezes Moodbidri, Bharatiya Raitha Sena Moodbidri unit president Hariprasad, social activists Anand Bangera, Mahalinga Naik Master and Abdul Majeed Ammunje, Congress leaders Iqbal Aliyar and Anwar Kuppepadavu, journalists Bava Padarangi, social leaders Khadar Idmu, Abdul Khader Suralpady, Babu Salian, Hameed Sagar, Nasir Adyapady, among others.