Karnataka: Villagers complain of violation of National Highway Fee Rules

Residents says it's causing inconvenience to road users, besides increasing expenses

Residents of the villages around Yedathore toll plaza on National Highway 766, have complained that the plaza is a violation of the National Highways Fee Rules 2008, which is causing inconvenience to road users, besides increasing expenses.

V Sriprasad, vice-president, OBC wing, Mysuru district BJP, said the villagers will appeal to MP Pratap Simha, to take steps to remove one of the toll plazas on NH 766, as the one at Yedathore near T Narsipur and the other at KN Hundi near Nanjangud are at a distance of just 35 km.

He said the state government has exempted entry tax on vehicles from neighbouring states to encourage tourism for a month, during Dasara. “However, tourists who get an exemption at the state border, are charged twice on the same highway, if they are exploring places around Mysuru,” he said.

S V Manjunath, member of Sosale Gram Panchayat, said, “It has to be recalled that Union Minister for Highways Nitin Gadkari had declared that the toll plazas established unscientifically, in violation of NH Fee Rules 2008, may be closed over three month on March 22 in the Lok Sabha.”

Distance rule violation

“Gadkari had pointed out that the minimum distance between two toll plazas must be 60 km. Earlier, following repeated protests across India, the Centre had ordered National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to shift toll plazas located within 60 km of one another in December 2018,” Manjunath recalled.

K Basavaraju, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) dealer, Sosale village, said, besides visitors and tourists, local people of T Narsipur, Nanjangud and other taluks of Mysuru district and also of Chamarajanagar district are suffering as they cannot travel around to and from T Narsipur and Nanjangud freely. Toll plazas cannot be avoided on a NH, as per law. But, let the NHAI remove one of them to abide by their own rules,” he said.

Sriprasad said service road and toll-free entry is provided only for two-wheelers and three-wheelers and for agriculture equipment, like tractors and tillers.

“All those who own four-wheelers, especially cars, in this vicinity, have to pay toll every time they travel around. Otherwise, they argue with the plaza employees, sometimes leading to skirmishes and attacks. For the peace of all, the MP should intervene and solve the problem of the road users,” he said.