Members of Tollgate Virodhi Horata Samithi of Surathkal have warned that Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will be welcomed with black flags if the ‘illegal’ toll gate functioning at Surathkal on national highway was not closed down immediately.
Samithi convener Muneer Katipalla said that a memorandum has been submitted to Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel to arrange a meeting with the Gadkari during his visit to Mangaluru to flag off national highway development works in the district on January 10.
The authorities had promised to merge the temporary tollgate opened at Surathkal with that of Hejamadi toll plaza situated just 9 kilometres away from Surathkal. The promises have not been fulfilled even after the state government wrote to the NHAI on closing down the toll plaza.
“The toll gate at Surathkal was opened six years ago on a temporary basis. Accordingly, toll was being collected at Surathkal on a temporary basis. In 2018, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) took a decision to merge the Surathkal toll gate with Hejmadi plaza. Even Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel also made an announcement that the toll gate at Surathkal will be closed shortly. However, the toll plaza continues to collect toll from vehicles at Surathkal even after toll collection started at Hejamadi,” Katipalla said.
“The contract to collect toll at Surathkal was renewed for three more months from December first week,” Katipalla said. “We have requested the MP to arrange a meeting with the Union Minister. If the MP fails to arrange a meeting, then we will hold a black flag protest against the minister,” he warned.
Watch the latest DH videos: