Toll plaza on highway to BIA vandalised

The police have detained 10 persons after Navayuga Devanahalli Tollway Private Limited (NDTPL), the toll operation, lodged complaint with International airport police station. The orders to charge toll had come into force only from midnight on Sunday.

The NDTPL officials said that they had informed National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and toll collection had been suspended till further orders from the authority.
Various cab drivers’ associations, who are agitated against the charging of toll, had organised flash protests on Monday to press the authorities to reverse the decision. In the afternoon, the members of the pro- Kannada organisation swung into action and violently attacked and ransacked the toll booths.

Kalandar Pasha, who drives a truck, said that he was waiting in the line to go towards the City for the last half an hour. "I think it is a waste of money,” he said.

Similarly, Mohan M, a cab driver, said that the passenger he was taking to the airport refused to pay the toll charges and he had to pay it from his own money. Another cab driver said that customers who missed the flight were demanding the flight charges from them.

G R Shanmugappa, president, All India Motor Transport Congress, said that none of the other cities in the country, had a toll plaza on the road leading to airport. “It is illegal with taxi drivers bearing the brunt of this decision,” he said.

Transport and Home minister R Ashok, who visited the toll plaza around noon, said that the state government was not intimated about setting up of toll plaza or when it would start. “The Union government didn’t discuss it with the state government at all,” he said. He added that the state government would ask the Centre to push the toll plaza beyond the flyover that leads to the airport. 

Meanwhile, the NDTPL officials said that the location, toll fare, exemption list, etc, had been decided by NHAI. “We are only going to implement and maintain the stretch from the end of Hebbal flyover till Devanahalli bridge,” said Col George Joseph, toll operations manager. An official from NHAI said that it would take action as per notification.