Shobha Karandlaje, MP, said on Tuesday that toll should not be collected from locals at the toll plazas at Hejmady and Sasthan on National Highway 66 in Udupi district till the Chief Secretary chairs a meeting on this issue. She was presiding over a meeting held at the office of the Deputy Commissioner here.
Ms. Karandlaje said it was wrong to collect toll without taking locals into confidence. Without the completion of the service roads on the stretch of NH 66 from Hejmady to Kundapur, it was wrong on part of the contractor, Navayuga Company, to collect toll, she said.
The officer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) present at the meeting said toll was being collected as per the norms.
However, Ms. Karandlaje said it should not be collected from the locals till a meeting held by the Chief Secretary. She said she has spoken to the Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, Pramod Madhwraj, and directed Deputy Commissioner T. Venkatesh to urge Chief Secretary Subhash Chandra Khuntia to hold a meeting on the issue as soon as possible. The meeting is expected to be held soon, she added.
Mr. Venkatesh said officials of Navayuga Company should complete the remaining roadwork as soon as possible. The meeting also discussed a revised timetable of the widening work.
