When we pay road tax, why should we also have to shell out for toll fee — this is a constant refrain of many road users.
“People everywhere are against the concept of toll collections. Recently, residents around the Paranur plaza near Chengalpettu had refused to pay toll fee and taken the matter to the court,” said V. Rama Rao, director, projects, Traffic and Transportation Forum.
He added that there are rules governing the location of toll plazas and they are not permitted within city limits. “For instance, the toll plaza on Rajiv Gandhi Salai is within the Chennai Corporation limits and residents in the surrounding areas have been protesting for quite some time, demanding its removal,” he said.
On Saturday, members of Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi staged a protest at the Perungudi toll plaza on OMR, demanding the Central and State governments remove toll plazas. B.V. Venugopal, state deputy general secretary, said, “People are forced to pay to enter their own homes because of the toll plazas. And monthly local residents passes are quite costly.”
Payment of toll fees also leads to a hike in the cost of goods as transporters pass on the cost to the consumer, said V. Murugan, State general secretary, Tamil Nadu Lorry Owners Federation. “There are 40 toll plazas in the State and they don’t have uniform rates. The annual hike is also quite steep. They don’t display details relating to the commencement or ending of tolling operations,” he said.