The Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samiti, Surathkal, held a protest near Surathkal toll gate on Tuesday urging the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to fill up potholes along the highway between Nanthoor and Surathkal, build service roads on the same stretch, and scrap toll gate near the National Institute of Technology on national highway 66.
Samiti convener and State president of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) Muneer Katipalla said there is no rationale behind having another toll gate at Hejamady on NH 66 just 10 km away from Surathkal toll gate.
He said that earlier, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Dakshina Kannada, had said that the toll gate at Surathkal would be scrapped and merged with the one at Hejamady. But the contract of collecting toll at Surathkal, which should have ended on July 31, was renewed again on July 30.
The move is against the State government’s proposal to cancel toll collection, he said.
While rules make it mandatory for NHAI to keep the tolled road in good and motorable condition, the entire stretch of the highway is filled with potholes and craters.
He urged NHAI to build service roads for the entire length of the highway between Nanthoor and Surathkal and construct a flyover at Nanthoor.