Mangaluru: The Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samithi on Wednesday decided to stage an indefinite day-and-night protest against the illegal Surathkal toll plaza from October 28. Action committee convener Muneer Katipalla said that the committee members met to discuss the future course of action following their successful protest against the Surathkal toll gate on Tuesday. “To remind the government and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials about their promise to close down the toll plaza within 20 days, members decided to launch an indefinite strike from October 28 to November 7. If officials fail to close the toll gate even after 20 days, then committee will intensify its protest from November 7, “ he added. 

‘’The people from Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts had taken part in the massive protest against toll gate and had urged the government to stop collecting toll on Tuesday. Yet, the BJP has ignored the demand by not stopping the toll collection,’’ he said.

The police used force and dispersed the protesters. This has exposed the anti-people policy of the BJP government, MP and MLAs, Muneer said.

He said that people had no faith in the assurances given by the MP and NHAI officials.

We will seek prior permission to stage protest round-the-clock near gate, he said and added that through the indefinite strike, the public’s opinion will be generated.

‘Convene meeting’

The gazette notification for the toll plaza was issued in 2013 and the toll plaza contract renewal continued even after Union Minister Nithin Gadkari announced in March that all toll plazas functioning on national highways within 60 km would be closed in three months.

Deputy Leader of Opposition in Assembly U T Khader urged the DC to convene a meeting of NHAI officials and elected representatives immediately to discuss the issue over toll plaza in Surathkal.

“When I had raised the issue of the toll in Assembly, the government had accepted that it was an illegal toll plaza and had sought time to solve the technical issues related to the toll before vacating it. The DC should convene a meeting and solve technical issues pertaining to the removal of toll,’’ he said.