Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Feb 10: The tollgate set up by Navayuga Infrastructure at Hejamady started collecting toll charges from vehicles moving through it at 12 midnight on Thursday. However, a huge crowd of people from various parts of the district gathered near the tollgate at around 8.30 am on Friday and staged road blockade.
Officials of National Highways Authority of India and top police officers visited the spot to take stock of the situation and pacify the protesters. Tahsildar, Mahesh Chandra, has been negotiating with the protesters on their demands.
Over 250 police personnel and adequate number of vehicles have been kept in readiness at the spot to tackle law and order situation and also to arrest and whisk the protesters away if the need arises. Additional superintendent of police of the district, Vishnuvardhan, is at the venue of protest.
After protesters led by Belapu Deviprasad Shetty, chairman of Kaup Urban Planning Authority, Diwakar Shetty, presidents of three panchayats near Hejamady, Deepak Yarmal, Prakash Shetty Padubidri, Gulam Mohammed, Vishwas Amin, zilla panchayat member, Shashikant Padubidri, and others stood their ground, toll collection was temporarily suspended.
The tahsildar said the matter will be discussed in detail with the deputy commissioner and if possible, a suitable decision would be arrived at.
The protesters have warned that on Monday, they will hold a mega protest with the support of students of schools and colleges, if their demands are not met.