Prohibitory orders imposed in M’luru over toll plaza protest
Mangaluru police commissioner N Shashi Kumar issued the orders under Section 144 up to a radius of 200 metre around NITK Toll Plaza in Surathkal from 6 am on October 28 till 6 pm on November 3.
The authorities have imposed prohibitory orders in Surathkal area of Mangaluru from October 28 to November 3 even as the outfit protesting against the Surathkal toll plaza sat on an indefinite agitation on Friday.
On October 18, at least 130 people were detained by Mangaluru police during a protest demanding the removal of the Surathkal toll gate on the outskirts of the city. The agitation was organised by the Tollgate Virodhi Horata Samithi, an outfit, opposed to the operation of the toll gate at Surathkal.
Mangaluru police commissioner N Shashi Kumar issued the orders under Section 144 up to a radius of 200 metre around NITK Toll Plaza in Surathkal from 6 am on October 28 till 6 pm on November 3 in view of the protests planned by the outfit.
The Samithi has been demanding the removal of the toll gate since last year. According to the outfit, the toll gate is operating less than 10 km away from the one at Hejamadi on the Mangaluru-Udupi route since 2016 in contravention of highway rules. According to the rules, no two toll plazas on a national highway should function in less than a distance of 60 km.
While no violence was reported on Friday, the protesting group started its indefinite protest.
“We will not stop the protest until the toll collection stops here or the toll gate is removed. On October 16, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had asked for 20 days to scrap the Surathkal toll gate, according to which November 7 is the last date. When you look at the progress made, the MP’s words cannot be believed,” convener of the samithi Muneer Katipalla said.
On September 13, Union minister of road transport and highways, Nitin Gadkari during a visit to Mangaluru had assured that the toll gate would be removed in 15 days. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials had indicated that the Surathkal and Hejamady toll plazas are likely to be merged.
“The district administration under deputy commissioner Dr Kumara conducted a meeting which showed their concern towards us. They are also fed up with the dates changing every now and then. During the meeting an NHAI official had said that the file has reached the central ministry for a signature. Why so much delay for a signature? Who is delaying the notification from getting a signature? Why cannot the MLAs ask the government to get the notification signed?,” Katipalla asked.
Meanwhile, KPCC coordinator and Congress leader Prathibha Kulai said, “After October 18, many BJP leaders thought we were afraid. We are ready to face any consequences and our protest will continue until the toll gate is scrapped. MP Kateel cannot be trusted as he has been giving dates to scrap toll gate for seven years now. Moreover, we all are witnesses of the Pumpwell flyover. If the Surathkal toll gate is scrapped, then we will stop our agitation.”
State minister V Sunil Kumar said the administrative process for the removal of the toll gate at Surathkal is in final stages and will be closed by November end. “A detailed discussion had taken place with the highway authorities on the issue and the approval for closure is in the final stage,” he said. An official of the district administration, who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the proposal to remove the toll plaza is pending with the NHAI.
