Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Oct 11: Karkala MLA and chief whip of the opposition in the assembly, V Sunil Kumar, met chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, and handed him a written request seeking to drop the proposal to set up tollgate at Belman on Karkala- Belman -Padubidri road.

He said that the government was not right in planning to recover toll charges after four years since the road was completed. He noted that there are tollgates within a distance of 60 km of this tollgate and therefore people will unnecessarily suffer if another tollgate is set up at Belman.

In response, Kumaraswamy noted that this proposal was approved by the previous government. He said he had gone through media reports on the issue. He promised to hold discussions with officials on the issue, gather information about how this issue can be resolved, and then inform the final outcome of discussions.

A delegation led by MLC, Ivan D'Souza and former legislator, H Gopal Bhandary, met PWD minister H D Revanna and urged him through a petition to drop the proposal to build tollgate at Belman. They noted in the petition that farmers from the area had sacrificed their land for the repair and expansion of this road. They therefore stressed that it was unreasonable on the part of the government to collect toll charges from road users.

The minister told the delegation that it has been decided to set up tollgate in tune with a decision taken on March 7 this year and promised to hold discussions with the concerned and take steps accordingly.

Member of the action committee, Xavier D'Mello, and others were present.