News and pics: Inchara, Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (EP)
Udupi, April 2: The Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samithi in Hejmadi expressed their opposition on Wednesday, April 1, to the collection of Toll in three places between Talapady and Byndoor before completion of four lane national highways 66 work.
They said that they will not allow collection of Toll in Hejmady. 'The arrangement of Toll in the country is unfair and anti people. The work on the Toll Gate in Hejmady should be stopped', they warned.
A Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samithi was formed on Wednesday, April 1,with the participation of villagers from Hejmady, Padubidri, Ermal,Palimaru, Uchila and different groups. The Samithi collected information on the problems of local people while inspecting the place.
Fierce protests on April 5:
“Nearly twenty thousand vehicles pass everyday through Hejmady toll gate. While all the vehicles are made to pay hefty road taxes, where is the need for collection of Toll? Why do we need a government that is unable to construct roads with the road tax paid by the vehicles? The highway is the pulse of the coastal people. Mostly medium class people are living here. With the collection of Toll, the bus fares, prices of vegetables and grocery are bound to rise. So we will not allow collection of Toll”, they said. They added that massive protests and Rastha Roko, will be held after collection of signatures on April 5 by the Samithi along with local groups, organizations and students.
“Hejmady Toll Gate is the project which has distressed the people nearby. It has made their lives unstable. It is said that an official has approached a local here and demanded to vacate his land though there was no official communication from the government. The people have expressed their helplessness asking where they can go after giving up their land. The department and government is asking the people to vacate without giving any notice. The locals are worried without knowing where to go. People below poverty lines have said that they will leave their places if the government pays them suitable compensation.
"As there is a possibility of constructing Truck Yard after the construction of Toll Gate here, the entire area is likely to be sacrificed for Toll Gate. However the contractors of the Highway have continued their work remaining indifferent towards the hardships faced by the local people”, complain the people.
“The Talapady – Kundapur work had started in 2002 at a contract sum of Rs 674 crores. It was then decided to collect Toll at Mangaluru’s Gundmi, Hejmady and Kundapur. The three Toll Gates will fetch Rs 10 crores per month amounting to Rs 120 crores per year. The contract sum can be collected within five years. Meanwhile the concerned have obtained permission to collect toll for 20-25 years. The Toll Gate in Hejmady is not designed like in other places in the country. As Hejmady area and several gramas in the coastal region besides being thickly populated are close to the highway, the collection of toll here is also unscientific. There is no doubt that such exercise will have adverse effect on the day to day activities of the people. Vehicles laden with people inevitably ply on the highway and the collection of Toll will be a huge blow to the people. In the circumstances, people near Hejmady have urged to give up the project and have prepared for protests”, they said.
The Toll Gate System by itself is wrong “The evil system of Toll Gate has been implemented in the country to fleece the people by keeping them in the dark. The construction of Highways is the responsibility of the government. The people are paying taxes on innumerable items for it. Why should the government burden the common man by collecting Toll after giving the Highway contracts to private companies? These things happen due to the Lobbies of senior ministers. If the money goes directly to the government, we can pay directly to it. Let not a private company collect it. Our protests will not be confined to Hejmady but create awareness about robbery in the name of Toll”, they said.