New toll plaza on Karnal-Jind NH, resentment brewing

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, November 22

The newly opened toll plaza on the Karnal-Jind National Highway 709-A near Peont village, 20 km from here, has led to resentment among villagers living nearby as they have to pay toll to visit the district headquarters. They have demanded that the toll plaza be shifted to the Assandh-Jind border.

A commuter has to pay Rs 65 for a one-way trip and Rs 90 for a round trip.

The residents said the toll had added to their ever-increasing budget.

“Be it any work, big or small, residents of Shekhpura, Jalmana, Salwan, Ballah, Assandh, Rahra, Gangatheri, Popra, Chochra, Ardana, Rattak, Danoli, Bandrala, Bahri and Moond villages need to visit the district headquarters. Residents living in the vicinity of 35 km of the toll plaza should be exempted from paying toll,” said Malak Singh, a resident of Pabana Hasanpur village.

Prabhjot Singh, a resident of Shekhpura village, said the state government should have considered villagers’ demand for constructing the toll plaza on the Assandh-Jind border.

Local Congress MLA Shamsher Singh Gogi had requested with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and local MP Sanjay Bhatia to shif the toll plaza out of the district.

“At first place, the toll plaza should not have been constructed near Peont village. And if the government was adamant on not heeding to the demand of villagers, it should have given Assandh the status of district. I had apprised the CM and the local MP of the matter. The CM had assured me to look into the issue, but no action was taken,” Gogi said.

He alleged the road was still incomplete, but Kalyan Toll Plaza, the company managing the toll plaza, had started charging tax.

Manoj Tomar, incharge of the toll plaza, said: “The company has been bagged the tender to operate the toll for three months. It has exempted private non-commercial vehicles of four villages and given a discount of 50 per cent on commercial vehicles. After three months, the new tender process will be started.”