Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (MS)

Kundapur, Nov 26: A protest march was organized on Sunday, November 25, by the National Highway Awareness Committee against the collection of toll charges at Sasthan tollgate, which is going to start from Monday, November 26, as per the orders of the government.

The foot march started from Shivakripa Kalyana Mandir at Sasthan and proceeded all the way to Kota police station where an appeal was given to Brahmavar circle inspector and station officers of Kota police station urging them to provide protection for the protesters. 

Speaking on the occasion, Pratap Shetty, president of the committee said, "We have been protesting against the collection of toll charges at Sasthan since many years and our protest has given fruit. However, from Monday, November 26, the toll is going to be collected against our demand of not collecting toll charges from the local registration vehicles. So we request the police department to give us protection,"

Pratap Shetty also warned that if the toll charges are collected, then there will be severe protest against the same. Circle inspector K Srikant, station officer of Kota police station Narasimha Shetty, members of national highway awareness committee, Vittal Poojary, Achyutha Poojary, Chandra Mohan, Alwyn Andrade, Govind Poojary, Ravindra Thingalaya, Nagaraj Ganiga Saligrama, Sahadeva Poojary, Dinesh Ganiga, Suresh Poojary, Vijayakumar Shetty, Keshava Acharya, president of district truck owners' association Rajesh Kaveri and member of national highway law committee Shyamsundar Nayiri were present.

Unique protest

The members of the highway awareness committee who came by foot march and entered the Kota police station knelt down in front of the station officer and appealed for protection.

Furious protest if toll collected from local vehicles

The protesters gave a forewarning that they are going to hold a sit in protest if the toll is collected for vehicles bearing KA 20 registration.

Meeting after submitting appeal

The protesters conducted a meeting by the side of the national highway near the Kota police station after submitting the appeal and discussed the future preparations. Speaking in the meeting, Rajesh Kaveri, president of district truck owners' association said, "Our stance against the toll collection is the same. As we have been protesting against the collection of toll from local vehicles, since a long time, the local vehicles were exempted from the toll. However, if the tollgate people start collecting toll from local vehicles in the coming days, we all will conduct a sit in protest in front of the toll gate."