Don’t hike toll fee after lockdown is lifted: Surjewala to Hry govt

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday demanded rollback of the enhanced national highway (NH) toll rates in Haryana, which would ‘come into effect

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday demanded rollback of the enhanced national highway (NH) toll rates in Haryana, which would ‘come into effect after the lockdown is lifted’.

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The AICC chief spokesperson said there are 32 NHs and three national expressways having a total length of 3,531km in Haryana. “Every district is connected with one or another national highway. Thus, the toll rate hike would directly affect the people using private vehicles or commercial vehicles. The cost of common goods transported by freight carriers would also get increased,” he added.

“Industries are shut and so are the businesses. More than 5 lakh migrant labourers have already gone back to their villages from the state. Most of the raw material for industries comes from other states by road and Haryana’s industries produces the finished products, which is transported to all over the country. In such circumstances, every small burden put on commercial vehicles makes Haryana’s industry non-competitive,” he said.

Surjewala asked why the BJP-JJP government was silent on the issue. “Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala came to the power on a promise of uprooting toll plazas. Why is he maintaining a mysterious silence?” he questioned.