Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS) 

Mangaluru, Jul 12: It will be mandatory for KA 19 registration private cars to pay a minimum toll of Rs 25 for one time access through Suratkal tollgate from July 16. Monthly pass will cost Rs 265 for unlimited usage. 

The deputy commissioner (DC) has sent an information letter to the police commissioner of Mangaluru to provide suitable police protection for this particular toll collection. 

Keshav Agarwal Company, which had taken the contract for collecting toll in the Suratkal tollgate recently, is incurring a loss of Rs 1.5 to 2 lac per day. It had written a letter to the administration to allow toll collection from local private cars also in order to reduce their losses. 

The chairman of NHAI had written a letter in this regard to the chief secretary of the state and had asked to provide required arrangements and police protection to the Suratkal tollgate personnel. Accordingly, the chief secretary of the state has instructed on July 1, through video conferencing, the DC of Dakshina Kannada district and highway officer to make arrangements for the same. 

The contract company had bid for a huge amount for the contract, keeping in mind the movement of umpteen times of the private cars, including local registration ones, through the toll gate every day. At present, the local KA 19 registration cars up to a distance of 20 kilometers from the tollgate can take a monthly pass for Rs 265 and use the tollgate as many times as required. If monthly pass is not there, then Rs 25 needs to be paid for every trip across the tollgate. 

Earlier, the district administration had instructed the tollgate contractor to waive off the toll collection for local vehicles. Now, due to the losses incurred by the toll company, NHAI has given instructions to collect minimum fee. So it will be mandatory for the locals to pay the toll fee from July 16.