Toll hike on Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway put on hold in poll-bound Karnataka

On March 31, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha had posted on his social media handle that he had requested the NHAI chairman, project director and the regional officer to temporarily withhold the hike in toll charges, as work on the road is yet to be completed.

Faced with strong opposition from motorists, implementation of the revised toll charges on the newly inaugurated Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway in poll-bound Karnataka has been put off. The new charges were scheduled to be collected from April 1.

“We have received directions from higher-ups not to collect the revised toll fee. Toll fees that were fixed earlier for using Bengaluru to Nidaghatta stretch of the expressway will continue,” an official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said on April 1.

The NHAI’s decision to implement the toll hike on the expressway — in accordance with its decision to increase toll charges on all highways — within a month of inauguration of the expressway had motorists fuming.

While the toll charge for cars was ₹135, it was set to increase to ₹165. For a same-day return journey, the charge would go up from ₹205 to ₹250.

Light commercial vehicles (LCV) and mini-buses would have to pay ₹270 instead of ₹220 for a one-way trip, and ₹405 (earlier ₹330) for a return journey while buses and trucks had to pay ₹565 for a single and and ₹850 for a same-day return journey.

The NHAI’s initial announcement to collect toll on the expressway had also attracted a backlash from motorists and opposition parties. The new hike announcement had angered people further as the expressway is not yet complete.

On March 31, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha had posted on his social media handle that he had requested the NHAI chairman, project director and the regional officer to temporarily withhold the hike in toll charges, as work on the road is yet to be completed.