Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway: No toll collection till March 14

BENGALURU/MYSURU: After day-long confusion, the National Highways Authority of India on Monday night decided to defer collection of toll in Phase 1 of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway to March 14. This means all motorists cruising on the road will not pay user fee till then.
Earlier in the day, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha had said toll collection will be deferred till service roads were ready. He had deleted the tweet later, causing confusion among users of the road.
The NHAI had issued a notification in print publications announcing the toll chart for various categories of vehicles for the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta section (first stretch) of the expressway. It was to kick in on Tuesday morning.
Simha had told TOI that he was seeking suspension of toll as grievances of motorists were brought to his notice. "We've written to the NHAI's head office in Delhi as well as local units to accept our request and postpone the toll collection. However, we have not received any official confirmation yet. We will ensure this move is put on hold," the MP said.
Tight security at toll plaza in Ramanagara district
Following the confusion, the Ramanagara district administration has beefed up security at the toll plaza.
As per the toll chart, a single journey for a car or jeep or van would cost Rs 135 and a same-day return trip Rs 205.
While the six-lane access-controlled carriageway is ready, its service roads for two- and three-wheelers are not complete.
MP Pratap Simha is on record that the state government will not collect toll from users till the service roads are built.
As two- and three-wheelers will be barred from the toll main carriageways, there was opposition from motorists against paying toll as service lanes have not been fully completed.