Mangaluru
A year after the discontinuation of toll collection at Surathkal tollgate on NH-66, the Action Committee Against Surathkal Tollgate is gearing up for a second phase of protest.
The toll collection at Surathkal was discontinued after seven years of protest by the action committee in association with various organisations. Now, the action committee is planning second phase of protest as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has not removed the collection booths of the tollgate even after a year.
Action Committee Convener Muneer Katipalla said that the forum will hold the first anniversary of its victory in the fight against Surathkal tollgate on December 1.
The seven years of fight against the toll collection on the national highway at Surathkal has become a part of the coastal district’s history that the government had to shut the toll plaza. The toll collection at Surathkal was officially stopped on December 1, 2022 after a 35-day-long day and night protest. Hence, we have decided to hold the first anniversary of the victory at Surathkal. Meanwhile, the action committee also has decided to hold a protest demanding the demolition of the tollbooth structure, which has caused several accidents in the recent past. Hence, the authorities concerned should demolish the structure immediately and make the traffic movement on the national highway smooth, he said.Social activist MG Hegde said that the NHAI should take up the maintenance work on the National Highway stretches of Surathkal, Nanthoor, and other places. Further, the work on proposed vehicle overpasses at Nanthoor, KPT Junction and the bridge across Phalguni River in Kuloor should also be expedited, he said, adding that there should be no toll collection on the national highway stretch from Nanthoor to Surathkal.
