Civic society seeks discontinuation of NITK toll plaza
Mangaluru, Feb 16, 2021: A delegation of civic society today submitted a memorandum to Minister Nitin Gadkari through MP Nalin Kumar Kateel demanding discontinuation of toll collection at Surathkal.
“Further to the recommendation made by our Honorable MP Nalin Kumar Kateel regarding discontinuing of collection of Toll for vehicles at the Toll Plaza located at NITK, Surathkal, Mangalore we request you to pass the necessary order to that effect without making any further delay,” the memorandum addressed to Minister for Road and Transport Nitin Gadkari stated.
The delegation included Yathish Baikampady, Mahabala Rai, Dinakar Mithrapatna, Aloysius Monteiro, Prashant Kanchan, M G Ramachandra, Harush Aithal and Arjun Mascarenhas.
“We wish to bring to your kind notice that this toll gate is located within the limits of Mangaluru City Corporation. Moreover, there is one more Toll Gate at Hejamadv which is less than 15 km north of the Surthakal Tollgate,” the memorandum stated.
“Two toll gates within a distance of 15 Kms for whatever reasons are against all tenants of natural justice and causing great hardship and burden to not only the employees and citizen who have been commuting to and fro to various locations within the city Mangalore since generations but also to self-employed people living in the city who operate small commercial vehicles to eke out a living in these difficult times,” it added.
They stated that with the steep increase in fuel prices people are struggling to make a normal living and these kinds of illegal tolls are beyond their means.
Demands:
- Cancellation of illegal Toll at NITK, Surathkal, Mangalore
- Money collected all these years by NH at this illegal Toll to be deposited back to Mangalore City Corporation for development of Service Roads and proper lighting all along the NH that passes through the City.
- Dismiss the corrupt officials responsible for misleading the department and tendering the collection of Toll at NITK
