Road Transport Ministry merges toll payable at Surathkal with Hejmady Toll Plaza

Tollgate Virodhi Horata Samithi terms the decision a victory for the over six years fight against illegal toll collection

Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Friday last ordered that toll for the four-lane Nanthoor-Surathkal National Highway 66 and the bypass from Nanthoor Junction to Padil on NH 75 (total length 18.362 km) should be collected at the Hejmady toll plaza on NH 66 by Navayuga Udupi Tollway Pvt. Ltd.

The stretch was part of Port Connectivity Project of NHAI, with the other stretch being Padil-B.C. Road

Without specifically mentioning the closure of the toll plaza managed by the National Highways Authority of India at NITK-Surathkal, against which people have been fighting for over six years, the Ministry said that Navayuga should pay the collected toll to NHAI, which, in turn, would pay Navayuga the collection charges.

However, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, who was being accused of being indifferent to people’s plight, in his tweet said, “The toll plaza at Surathkal near Mangaluru is cancelled. I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari for responding to people’s demand. The Central government had already promised to cancel the toll plaza and now the technical issues are sorted out.”

The Ministry did not order closure of the NITK-Surathkal toll plaza; instead it ordered shifting of the toll collection from Surathkal to Hejmady. Road users would have to continue to pay the charges of Surathkal toll plaza at Hejmady. For example, the toll for a four-wheeler was ₹60 at Surathkal and ₹45 at Hejmady. They would have to pay ₹105 at Hejmady by virtue of November 11 MoRTH gazette notification.

Navayuga had built the four-lane NH 66 between Talapady and Kundapur, excluding the stretch of Nanthoor-NITK Surathkal, and collects toll at Talapady, Hejmady and Gundmi.

Responding to the tweet and related developments, Surathkal Tollgate Virodhi Horata Samithi Convener Muneer Katipalla said until toll collection was stopped at the NITK-Surathkal, the ongoing non-stop dharna that entered 18th day on Monday, would continue.