Sastan Residents Stage Protest against Toll Collection for KA 20 vehicles
Udupi: Hundreds of protesters under the banner of Rashtriya Heddari Jagriti Samithi Sastan staged a protest against the Navayuga Company for collecting toll for local vehicles bearing registration KA 20 from Wednesday, August 16 with police protection.
The protesters shouted slogans against the Navayuga Company and demanded to stop the toll collection at Sasthan Toll plaza.
Speaking to media persons Pratap Shetty president of Rashtriya Heddari Jagriti Samithi Sastan said, “we came to know that the Navayuga Company is starting to collect toll for local vehicles from Today, August 16. We immediately gathered here and protested against the company. Many times we have demanded the company as well as district administration not to collect the toll without completing the construction work. The National Highway is across Udupi district is in a pathetic condition ridden with potholes from Kundapur to Padubidiri. The construction work of a number of service roads, flyover at Kundapur and the overpass in Udupi are still pending”.
“We have demanded the district administration and the peoples’ representatives a number of times to exempt local vehicles from paying the toll. We have put forth our demands before the administration which are still pending. One of our team members has filed PIL in the High court and the court has asked the deputy commissioner to clarify. Meanwhile, the Kundpaur Assistant commissioner has also served notice to the company for the delay in completing the work. But today, August 16 the company has started to collect toll with help of the police is condemnable. The district administration should immediately intervene in this matter and stop the toll collection,” he said.
Another social activist and member of the Rashtriya Heddari Jagriti Samithi Sastan Alwyn Andrade said, “Yesterday we received the message of the toll being collected from today at the Sastan and Padubidri Toll Plaza. But when we the members of the Samithi met the toll plaza officials yesterday at Sasthan, they told us of not collecting the toll until the work was completed. And today morning, all of sudden the Navayug Company has started to collect the toll at Sasthan and Padubidri. The PIL is still pending in High Court and DC’s court. Without any prior information to the public Toll is being collected. Navayug Company should relax the toll for vehicles from Udupi district. People were not against paying the toll. But it should be collected only after the widening work on the Hejmady-Kudnapur stretch of the NH 66 is completed. We are facing various problems in regard to the National highway but we don’t have any platform to address our problems. We have also requested the deputy commissioner to call a meeting of the locals and people representatives. We are ready to accept the decisions taken during the meeting,” he said
The protesters protested at the toll plaza for about 2 – 3 hours. Kundapur Assistant commissioner Bhoohalan arrived at the spot and tried to pacify the protesters. He also contacted the deputy commissioner as well as the National Highway authorities and asked to hold a meeting immediately. After requests by the protesters, the deputy commissioner agreed to call a meeting on Friday, August 17 at 5:00 pm at the DC office. Until the meeting is held the AC instructed the Navayuga officials to stop collecting the toll from local vehicles. After the assurance by the Assistant Commissioner, the protesters call off the protest.
Kundapur MLA Haladi Srinivas Shetty also visited the spot and assured his support to the protesters.
Advocate Shyam Sundar Nairy, Vittal Poojary, Moses Rodrigues, Prahsanth Shetty and others were present.
