Daijworld Media Network - Udupi (MS)

Udupi, Sep 3: Local vehicles are exempted from paying the toll in the toll gate that is put up on the inner road at Hejamady. Local drivers got furious and held protest when the toll collection was started on the inner road, which falls under the PWD (old MBC road), on the morning of Sunday, September 2.

Later the decision of not collecting toll on the inner road was arrived at a meeting that was held at the Hejamady police outpost in which representatives of Navyug Company, Kaup tahsildar, police officials and members of National Highway Agitation Committee took part.

Hiring charges Rs 200, toll 110!

Light goods tempos transporting materials in the short distance of two km between Mulky and Hejamady take Rs 200 as hiring charges from their customers. In this they are made to pay Rs 110 as toll. The drivers and owners of these tempos are questioning as to how they can survive with this kind of toll collection.

Decisions taken in the meeting

Navyug Company has to complete all the works including the signal lights and make way for the smooth flow of traffic. Relaxation from paying the toll should be given to local light vehicles, service buses and commercial vehicles with yellow number plates that fall under the Hejamady limits.

Shekhar Hejmady, convener of national highway agitation committee, Dr Deviprasad Shetty, president of the committee, Gulam Mohammed, vice-president of the committee, union of tempo drivers, Sunil Alva, president, Mulky town municipality, Vishalakshi Putran, president, Hejamady gram panchayat, Panduranga Karkera, Sudhir Karkera, Govardhan Kotian, H Ravi Kunder, Ravindra Hejmady, Vasant Hejamady, Chandrashekar Mulky, Mohan Shetty Mulky, Kaup tahsildar Gurusiddaiah Hiremat, revenue inspector Ravishankar, Kaup circle inspector Halamurthy Rao, Padubidri police sub-inspector Satish and Ravibabu of Navyug toll plaza were present in the meeting.

Navyug Company did not keep its promise

Dr Deviprasad Shetty, president of national highway agitation committee said, "Navyug Company has not fulfilled any promises made to the public. Service road is not built for the vehicles to enter from the northern part to the village of Hejamady. Skywalk is not built for locals to cross the road near the highway. The water supply pipes that were broken during the work, have not been set right. Due to this the road of PWD is completely damaged. This has to be repaired. We will not tolerate collection of toll without completing all these pending works."