Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Dec 10: The private service and express buses which move through the tollgate near NITK Suratkal have been given deadline of December 10 by the toll staff to pay revised toll fee. The private service and express buses which move towards Kinnigoli and Udupi through this tollgate will have to shell out huge fee. The hike in fee has turned out to be a huge burden for common people and the buses.
It is said that owners of buses have decided to suspend operations of buses if toll charges are not brought down.
Kinnigoli Zone Bus Owners Association president, Durgaprasad Shetty, said that the NITK toll new contractors have asked the buses to either pay revised rates with effect from December 10 or stop operations. "About 35 buses move to Kinnigoli from Suratkal every day. Till now, buses going to Kinnigoli used to get passes at the rate of Rs 4,000 per month, while Udupi express buses got monthly passes at Rs 5,500. Now we have been asked to hike the fee to Rs 17,000 or 18,000 which will be a huge burden on bus owners and passengers," he explained.
Shetty pointed out that no toll charges are collected for local buses in Hejamady and Talapady toll gates and wanted to know why arbitrary rules have been implemented here. He said that the buses are facing shortage of daily collection. "We have brought to the notice of the district in-charge minister about our demand on Sunday. He has promised to instruct the deputy commissioner suitably," he added.