Only one toll plaza in 60 km of National Highway: Gadkari

Union Minister makes statement in the Lok Sabha and posts video on social media

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday announced in the Lok Sabha that there will be only one toll plaza for a distance of 60 km on national highways and if there are more than one toll plaza, such facility will be closed down in the next three months.

In a video posted on his [Mr. Gadkari] official twitter account, the Minister said, “It is illegal to have more than one toll plaza for a distance of 60 km and I have told this many times. But it is running as we get money. Now, I assure this House that in the next three months, all additional toll plazas in that 60-km distance will be closed.”

This video was posted about two hours after the conclusion of the padayatra demanding the closure of the Surathkal Toll Plaza.

“Mr. Gadkari has made this statement earlier too. If he is serious this time, the Minister should actually bring amendments to toll plaza rules which have exemptions for having more than one toll plaza for 60- km distance,” said Convenor of Surathkal Toll Plaza Virodhi Samiti Muneer Katipalla.

Mr. Katipalla, who is also president of Democratic Youth Federation of India, Karnataka, said that it is based on one such exemption that the Surathkal Toll Plaza continues to function.