Driving along the Mysuru-Nanjangud road, Mysuru-T.Narsipura road and Gundlupet-Moolehole road which are part of NH-766 (earlier NH-212) will not be free anymore.
Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) notified the introduction of toll on these roads on November 20.
He clarified that it has little to do with the local district administration and is the decision of the Ministry.
The NH 766 was upgraded at a cost of ₹419 crore and the project entailed upgrading the Mysuru-Nanjangud section (24 km) to a four-lane stretch in view of the high traffic density. The project was taken up with the understanding that it would be a tolled highway.
The toll plazas have been established at three places – at Maddur near Gundlupet, near Kadakola between Mysuru and Nanjangud and near Varkodu close to T.Narsipur.
Though the MoRTH has notified the collection of tolls, it does not mention the date from which the toll is to be collected but officials speculate that it could commence from December 1.
The highway links Uttamballi in Kollegal region of Chamarajanagar district with Moolehole in Bandipur in Karnataka and is linked to Kozhikode in Kerala. The portion of highway upgraded in Karnataka has a stretch of 129 km and was completed a few years ago. However, the notification for toll collection was not issued by the MoRTH all these years though the plazas were completed and were ready for operation.
Width
The project has a carriage width ranging from 8 to 10 metres while the Mysuru-Nanjangud section is four-lane with a carriage width of about 15 metres.
As per the MoRTH notification, the Central Government will levy the fee for a 33.679 km stretch from Moolehole, for 26.751 km stretch on the Mysuru-Nanjangud section and for 47.148 km stretch from Varakodu. The notification also states that the rate for monthly pass for a person who owns a mechanical vehicle registered for non-commercial purpose and resides within a distance of 20 km from the fee plaza will be ₹265 per month for the year 2019-20 subject to revision every year.
It is pertinent to recall that there were protests by a few activists against the introduction of toll on the grounds that the highway connecting Mysuru-Nanjangud, Mysuru-T.Narsipur and Gundlupet-Moolehole was the only link and hence people could not be forced to pay toll in the absence of alternative roads. It was also argued that the government levies tax on vehicles for road maintenance and hence could not subject the vehicle owners to double taxation.
