Tale of a Surathkal toll plaza and unkept promises near the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka

Mangaluru (KTK): Agitation by various organisations against an 'illegal' toll plaza functioning at Surathkal in the city has reached a flashpoint with the action committee against the toll gate giving an ultimatum to the authorities to close it down by October 18.

The Surathkal toll gate Virodhi Samiti has announced that they will remove the toll gate with the help of workers belonging to like-minded organisations if the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) did not honour its promise to close down the plaza within one month.

The toll gate at Surathkal near the National Institute of Technology-Karnataka (NIT-K) has always been in the news for the last few years as people have been fighting against its functioning, alleging it violates the National Highway guidelines.

The plaza is located just 9 km away from the next toll gate at Hejamady. National Highway rules stipulate that the distance between two toll gates should be at least 60 km.

The Surathkal toll plaza also comes within the jurisdiction of Mangaluru city corporation. The NIT-K authorities have also complained about the inconvenience it is causing to the students and staff.

Several organisations have been protesting against the toll plaza ever since it was constructed in 2015. After the latest protest at the toll gate last week, the action committee announced that they themselves will remove the plaza with the help of like-minded organisations.

More than 60 organisations have joined the struggle at different stages of the protest.

The action committee convenor and DYFI state president Munir Katipalla said they want the NHAI to implement its decision to close down the plaza and announce a date for it. On August 23, the NHAI had announced that the toll gate will be closed within a month.

During the latest protest last week, NHAI project director Linge Gowda visited the venue and told the activists again that the toll gate will be shut within another month.

He said the paperwork related to the closure of the gate is in progress and it may take 20 to 30 days to vacate the plaza. The action committee's fresh decision to close down the plaza on October 18 is in the wake of this assurance.

The NHAI is yet to announce a date for the closure of the toll gate. Hundreds of people belonging to various organisations will join hands to remove the toll gate on October 18, Katipalla said.

Elected representatives from the region, have often made promises of closing down the toll gate, in an apparent bid to pacify protestors belonging to various sections.

Congress leaders including KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai, vice president Ivan D'Souza and former ministers Abhayachandra Jain and Vinay Kumar Sorake extended support to the protest. Social activist M G Hegde also came out in support of the demand.

The action committee points out that the Surathkal toll gate had been set up near NIT-K in gross violation of highway rules. Toll is being collected since December 2015.

In March this year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had announced that two plazas cannot exist within a distance of 60 km and said if such toll gates existed, they will be removed in three months.

BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel MP’s earlier proposal to merge the toll gates at Surathkal and Talapady and construction of another plaza near NMPT to collect toll from heavy vehicles also did not materialise.

In March this year, workers of various organisations led by the action committee held a padayatra from Hejamady to Surathkal demanding the closure of the toll gate.

Asif Apatbandhava, social activist who is one of the leaders in the forefront of the protest, said the toll gate on NH 66 at Surathkal was opened seven years back on a temporary basis with the promise that it will be merged with the new plaza opened at Hejamady, which is 9 km away.

He said the NHAI had taken a decision to merge the Surathkal toll gate with Hejamady plaza in 2018. However, the contract was later renewed for toll collection at Surathkal.

"Why should people pay toll at two plazas within a 10 km distance?" he asked. The toll gate at Surathkal is functioning flouting the NH rules.

Katipalla said the struggle will not end till the closure of the toll gate which is functioning flouting all rules. Toll is being collected even after the government took a decision to merge the toll plaza with the one at Hejamady.

Meanwhile, state Public Works Minister C C Patil told the assembly on Thursday that the proposal for the merger of Surathkal and Hejamady toll plazas has been submitted to the officers of the NHAI for approval.

NHAI has assured that the proposal will be examined. The Union Road Transport Minister has also given the green signal to merge all toll plazas that are within a distance of 60 km from each other, he said.

Extending support to the protestors against the Surathkal plaza, KPCC coordinator Prathibha Kulai said the youth who will be left unemployed with the expected closure of the plaza will be provided jobs in other companies.

Kulai said she had contacted several private companies who are willing to provide employment to the youths.