Toll collection at Surathkal cancelled, tweets Kateel

Mangaluru: Even as the indefinite day and night dharna being organised by the Action Committee Against Surathkal Toll Gate at Surathkal entered the 18th day on Monday, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar has tweeted that the tollgate at Surathkal on the NH66 has been cancelled.
“On behalf of people, I thank Union minister @nitin_gadkari and Prime Minister @narendramodi that the toll gate near Surathkal in Mangaluru has been cancelled. The Union minister had promised to suspend the toll collection earlier and the technical aspects of it have been accomplished,” @nalinkateel tweeted.
However, the Action Committee Against Surathkal Toll Gate has decided to continue the dharna till the toll collection is stopped at Surathkal. Convener Muneer Katipalla said the protest will continue till the tollgate at Surathkal is vacated. “We have read the tweet made by the MP. The MP has said the tollgate has been suspended. However, we will wait till the tollgate is vacated before taking a decision on winding up our indefinite dharna. We will not withdraw from the ongoing dharna until we get an official order. The protest will be stopped only if the toll collection is stopped at Surathkal,” he said.
An official of the NHAI said the Union ministry of road transport and highways has already decided to vacate the toll gate at Surathkal. However, an official order to this effect is yet to be issued, the official said. On possibilities of a hike to toll tariff at Hejmadi tollgate, which is about 10kms away from Surathkal, Katipalla said the action committee will wait for government order on this and then decide.
The action committee had commenced the indefinite day and night dharna near the tollgate at Surathkal on October 28. On Monday, Mangaluru city police detained members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Students Federation of India (SFI) when they were preparing for a bike rally demanding the NHAI to vacate the tollgate from Urwa Store to Surathkal. Meanwhile, a forum of like-minded organisations have also planned to hold a padayatra from Tadambail Junction to the venue of the indefinite protest in Surathkal on November 18.