Toll plaza near BIA starts operation
The controversial toll plaza on NH-7 near Bangalore International Airport (BIA) finally started operations at the stroke of midnight on Saturday.
But despite the relative calm of the first day, discontent among commercial vehicle drivers mounted by evening, leading to long arguments and tension.
Sparking off the trouble was the toll tariff board. While many private vehicle owners passed through the tollgates without making much noise, some taxi drivers stopped their vehicles at the gates and contended that the boards were misleading.
The details on the boards give an impression that the return fare of Rs 25 charged from light motor vehicles is valid for 24 hours. However, it is a fee levied per return trip.
One driver who chose to stop his vehicle before the toll office and shout at officials was C Basavaraju, owner of S V S Travels.
He told the toll plaza personnel: “This tollbooth is completely ridiculous and the toll board is misleading. I thought the fare is a one time fee per day. Taxi drivers will not be able to afford this charge if they ply to the airport at least thrice in a day.” But the toll staffers had no answer to most of his questions apart from the routine refrain: “We are following State government orders. We are following the rules.”
The first day was also marked by a protest by some Karnataka Rakshana Vedike activists. With close to 100 security personnel comprising NHAI security and local police, their voices were muted within minutes. By 7 pm on Saturday, toll plaza one had sold 15 smart cards.
