Vishwanath protests against expressway toll collection

Mysuru: Former MP and MLC A H Vishwanath on Friday held a protest with like-minded activists opposing the collection of toll on the newly opened Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway here.
He staged a dharna at the Manipal Hospital junction, which is the starting point of the expressway, along with the activists and warned of launching an agitation if the toll charges are not reduced.
The activists urged that the Union government should charge Re 1 per kilometre as against Rs 270 for four-wheelers now.
Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for toll collection, he said Modi is muzzling the voice of dissent. He said Modi is holding a ‘blind darbar’. Speaking to reporters during the protest, he said Modi has adopted a dictatorial attitude. “The Centre has started toll collection without completing the service road. It has even failed to provide proper service for road users,” Vishwanath said.
He said that the livelihood of thousands of farmers, who provided 2,600 acres of land for the expansion of the state highway from Bengaluru to Mysuru, are now threatened with the upgrading of the road for the development of the highway. Mysuru maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar had built a concrete road from Bengaluru to Ooty to facilitate hassle free movement, he said.
Vishwanath also criticised Mysuru MP Pratap Simha. He called Simha as a mini contractor and criticised NHAI official B T Sridhar, who is the project director, for failing to complete the service road of the expressway.