DC Swaroopa T.K. to Seek Toll Exemption for Locals in Hejamady Area
Udupi: A recommendation letter will be submitted to the Secretary of the Public Works Department seeking the extension of the toll concession currently available to local residents within the Sasthan and Shiroor Zilla Panchayat limits to residents living within the Hejamady toll plaza area, Deputy Commissioner Swaroopa T.K. said.
She was speaking while presiding over a meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office auditorium at Rajathadri, Manipal, on Tuesday to discuss various issues related to toll collection on national highways.
The Sasthan and Shiroor toll plazas in the district continue to provide concessions to local vehicles. However, complaints have been received that a similar concession is not being provided to local residents in the Hejamady area. At Sasthan, toll exemption is available to local residents within a 10-km radius. Residents of Hejamady have requested that a similar system be implemented there to ease their daily travel. The district administration will submit a representation to the Secretary of the Public Works Department seeking the extension of the concession, the Deputy Commissioner said.
Residents living within the Hejamady toll plaza area along National Highway 66 face considerable inconvenience because they must cross the toll plaza several times a day for work and other essential activities, resulting in repeated toll payments. They have demanded toll exemption or monthly pass facilities for local vehicles operating in and around the toll plaza and for registered vehicles falling within the specified area.
Permission has already been granted for the construction of service roads along certain stretches of National Highway 66, and the works should be taken up and completed at the earliest, the Deputy Commissioner said. She directed National Highway officials and contractors to prioritise safety-related works, including the construction of service roads, installation of road reflectors and streetlights, repair of potholes, drainage works and installation of proper signboards at junctions. Such measures would help improve road safety and reduce accidents, she said.
Members of the public residing near the Hejamady toll plaza, office-bearers of various organisations, elected representatives and former elected representatives said local residents were compelled to cross the toll plaza several times a day for their daily activities and paying the toll on every occasion was a financial burden. They demanded that the concession available at Sasthan be extended to Hejamady as well.
They also raised grievances regarding the construction of service roads along certain stretches of the national highway, installation of streetlights and the conduct of toll plaza staff, urging them to deal with the public patiently and courteously.
District Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Abid Gadyal, Public Works Department Executive Engineer Kiran S., National Highways Authority of India Project Director Abdul Javed Aikya, engineers, district-level officials, members of the public and others were present at the meeting.
