PROTEST AGAINST TOLL COLLECTION

B.A. Mohiuddin Bava, Mangaluru City North MLA, has supported the Nagarika Samiti which has planned a protest near the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka at Surathkal on Wednesday to oppose the toll collection on Mangaluru-Udupi National Highway from October 1.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed to collect toll for widening the national highways between Surathkal and B.C. Road via Kulashekara under the Port Connectivity Project.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, the MLA said that he would participate in Wednesday’s protest from 10 a.m. The protest would be peaceful and would continue till the NHAI withdrew its decision.

Four counters

He said the NHAI had made only four counters, two each on either side, for collecting road users’ fee. It would only result in traffic jams on the busy highway connecting Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra. The location chosen for building the toll-gate was scientifically not suitable too. If traffic jam on the highway was to be avoided, the NHAI should build 10 counters, five each on either side.

The MLA said that the NHAI had not completed the project. It should first widen the service roads at different stretches between Surathkal and B.C. Road. The NHAI officials say that though the Union government had sanctioned Rs. 24 crore for the purpose, contractors were not coming up for taking up the works. It would be the duty of the NHAI to ensure that the service roads were widened.