Chaos prevailed at the Attibele toll plaza on the road connecting the city to Tamil Nadu on Monday as hundreds of commercial vehicles, which would pass without paying toll, were stopped and asked to pay up by the operators.
In retaliation, the motorists blocked the toll gate, resulting in a massive traffic jam at noon. With the jam stretching over 2 km, police personnel allowed all motorists to pass without paying toll.
This prompted Bangalore Elevated Tollway Limited (BETL), the company that operates the elevated road, to allege widespread evasion of user fees.
In a statement, the BETL said that over 5,000 vehicles, including non-commercial vehicles belonging to Attibele and nearby areas, had not being paying the toll claiming that local vehicles are exempted. “This is against the provisions of the concession agreement. BETPL has made all reasonable efforts during the last four years to resolve the issue through talks, but without any headway,” the statement said.
BETL claimed that the issue has been brought to the notice of the district administration, district police, local police, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other officials.
On Monday, the operator insisted on payment of toll.
“These vehicles were stopped after giving advance notice and requested to pay the toll. The plaza was blocked by the drivers, leading to a huge traffic jam,” the statement said.
A BETL spokesperson said that the company would lodge a complaint against those who blocked the toll booth on Monday.
