NHAI renews efforts to set up toll plaza in Nellore city limits

People say the proposal will impose a huge burden on them

May 05, 2016 12:00 am | Updated 08:02 am IST - NELLORE

Amid strong protests from political parties, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) withdrew its plans to set up a new toll plaza at Kanuparthipadu on the national highway in Nellore city last year. But the NHAI officials once again started the process of setting up this toll plaza by shifting the spot this time to Kondayapalem point nearby.

For this, the NHAI has invited tenders in its e-portal with May 5 set as the last day for bid submission and also opening date.

With just one day left for bid opening, the political parties have already started voicing their opposition to the toll plaza on the plea that this should not be set up at Kondayapalem also, as this place falls within the limits of the Nellore Municipal Corporation just like Kanuparthipadu.

The argument of the local leaders is that there are already four toll plazas located in the Nellore district and another one will put a huge burden on the public here. The leaders are specifically opposed to the plaza within the municipal corporation limits considering it to be a greater burden on the population of surrounding localities and villages in terms of heavy vehicle movement and higher traffic movement.

“While the toll fee is high, the new plaza may also lead to the heavy vehicles coming into internal city roads nearby to avoid paying the toll. This will become a big problem to the residents of populated localities like Adityanagar, Children’s Park Road, NTR Nagar, Bhaktavatsalanagar, Ayyappagudi Centre and so on,” said Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy.

Mr. Reddy said that it was now for Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and State Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana to intervene in the matter and see that the NHAI officials stop the tender process, as both the Ministers belong to Nellore district.

The proposed rates by the NHAI authorities at this plaza are Rs. 25 for cars for one-way trip and Rs. 35 for return trip in a day. For the bus and two-axle vehicles, the rates are Rs. 85 one way and Rs. 125 for return trip in a day. Monthly passes valid for 50 journeys in a month will also be issued to local public.

Stating that most places in his Assembly constituency would be badly affected, Mr. Sridhar Reddy demanded that the State government and the district administration prevail upon the Centre to stop the toll plaza on Nellore city limits permanently.

When the first attempt was made for the Kanuparthipadu plaza, the YSR Congress, the Telugu Desam Party, the BJP and the Congress party leaders staged protests. Following growing objections from the public, the district administration also intervened in the matter at that time seeking withdrawal of the plaza.

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