The Surathkal Toll Virodhi Horata Samiti, activists from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party called off their protest at the Surathkal Toll Gate on National Highway 66 here on Tuesday following oral directions from Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S. to the agency to stop collection of toll from local vehicles [with KA 19 registration] for the next few days.
“A police officer told us that Mr. Senthil and Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil have asked the agency to stop collection of toll from local vehicles till further orders. Hence, we have called off the protest,” said Muneer Katipalla, convenor of the samiti. A representative of the agency told The Hindu that the direction to stop toll collection was received on Monday night. “We will wait for further orders. We have been called to a meeting today and tomorrow,” the representative said and added that the State’s Chief Secretary has been informed of the loss the NHAI was incurring by not collecting toll from local vehicles.
The NHAI authorised agency had put up banners near the toll plaza that it will compulsorily collect ₹ 25 for one way from all vehicles bearing KA 19 registration from July 16. It further said that monthly pass of ₹ 265 will be issued to vehicles of owners residing within a 20 km radius of the toll plaza.
Raising its voice against the decision of the NHAI, the samiti called for a protest and demanded the merger of the Surathkal Toll Plaza with the toll plaza situated five km away at Hejmady on the national highway. District in-charge Minister U.T. Khader on Monday wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary to withhold toll collection till the merger.
Members of the samiti, BJP and Congress workers carried out a symbolic protest at the toll plaza on Tuesday. The BJP workers then distributed pamphlets asking local vehicle drivers not to pay toll. Among the many who took part in the protest included the former Moobidri MLA K. Abhayachandra Jain. Mr. Jain said that he will shortly meet Nalin Kumar Kateel, Member of Parliament, and ask him to take a delegation to New Delhi and end the long-standing impasse. “We need to end this impasse and avoid inconvenience to motorists,” he said.
