Goods carrier truck owners hold rally, join tollgate protest

Mangaluru: A rally of goods carrier vehicles was carried out by owners and drivers, who drove their trucks to the venue of the indefinite day-and-night dharna being held against the Surathkal tollgate on Tuesday.
On day 12 of the protest being held under the aegis of the Action Committee Against Surathkal Tollgate, a large number of people arrived to extend their support, even as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has not taken any initiative to close the tollgate. Former MLC Ivan D’Souza said owners and drivers of goods tempos and trucks have taken part in the protest on their own, without any coercion.
“They have participated in the protest against the tollgate, by boycotting a day’s work. They are forced to pay the toll from their earnings at the gate, though it is illegal. People’s representatives here are incapable, as they could not get the tollgate to be closed, even after Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari has declared it in the Parliament. The public will teach people’s representatives a lesson, if the tollgate is not closed,” he said.
Former MLA BA Mohiuddin Bava said that Karnataka PWD minister CC Patil has given the assurance during the legislative session, that the tollgate will be closed. “The protest against the tollgate in Surathkal had started even before it was opened. BJP leaders are alleging that the tollgate was opened when the Congress was in power in the state. There was no tollgate at Hejmadi , 10km from Surathkal, when a new one was opened in Surathkal,” he said.
Action committee convener Muneer Katipalla said that the number of people visiting the protest venue is increasing each passing day, even as the government has failed to close the “illegal toll gate”.