Taxi and maxi-cab operators from Madurai, Virudhunagar and Tenkasi districts have demanded removal of toll gate at Kappalur claiming that the location of the toll plaza was in violation of various rules of National Highways Authority of India.
Participating in a demonstration here on Tuesday, the vehicle operators and drivers threatened to lay siege to the toll plaza near Tirumangalam if the State and Centre did not act on their demand.
The protesters said that Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, had said that the minimum distance between two toll plazas should be 60 km.
However, the distance between the toll plazas at Kappalur and Chittampatti on Madurai-Tiruchi highway was only around 50 km.
Besides, the plaza location in Kappalur violated the rules that it should be 5 km away from municipal limits, said State secretary of Tamil Nadu Road Transport Workers Association S. Moorthi.
"It is a daylight robbery that the toll collection at this plaza has been continuing despite all violations," he said.
A tourist van driver from Sankarankovil S. Silambarasan said that the vehicle owners and drivers from Tenkasi district and Virudhunagar districts and those from Tirumangalam had been protesting against the location of the toll gate for the past 10 years.
"Vehicles that come from Tenkasi, Sankarankovil, Rajapalayam, Srivilliputtur and Tirumangalam use the national highway for only 3 km for which we are forced to pay ₹ 150 per vehicle as toll fee. Why should we pay the high toll fee when the vehicles were not using the road?" Mr Silambarasan asked.
Whenever the vehicle operators protested, National Highways Authority of India officials would permit vehicles from these places to pass through the toll plaza without paying any toll fee on producing registration certificate.
However, within a few days, the plaza workers withdrew this concession.
District secretary of CITU R. Deivaraj addressed the protesters. A memorandum was handed over to Collector.
Published - April 26, 2022 07:16 pm IST
