200% hike in Manali toll fee, locals see red

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, DECEMBER 3

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) increased the user fee by over 200 per cent at the Dohlunala toll plaza on the Kullu-Manali national highway yesterday.

Earlier, small vehicle owners used to pay Rs 35 to go to Manali, now this amount has been increased to Rs 75. Earlier, the to-and-fro journey to Manali cost Rs 55, but now the cost has been increased to Rs 115. The amount will be doubled if there is no FASTag faculity in the vehicle.

Objections raised

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• One-way trip to Manali cost Rs 35 for small vehicle owners; now it has been raised to Rs 75
• The cost of to-and-fro journey to Manali was Rs 55; now rate has been increased to Rs 115
• The Four-lane Sangharsh Samiti met the ADM and raised objections against the new rates at Dohlunala toll plaza

The one-way toll with FASTag for LCV, LGV and mini vehicles has now raised to Rs 125, owners of double-axle vehicles have to pay Rs 415 and oversized vehicles will be charged Rs 505. The return journey the same day will cost Rs 190, Rs 620 and Rs 755. Earlier, the rates were less than half of the new rates.

There is anger among people regarding the abrupt increase in fee. The people were not in favour of establishing the toll plaza here because the road from the Kullu Gammon bridge to Manali is double-lane, not fourlane. There had been many agitations against the toll plaza as well. Despite that, people have been paying toll for the last two-and-a-half years.

People also complain frequently that the FASTag scanners don’t work many times and commuters have to wait for several minutes, resulting in long queues. People are criticising the toll management on social media. They state that now there are two tolls within 30 km, including the green tax barrier of Manali on the national highway. They said this would also adversely hit the tourism industry.

Toll Plaza Sangharsh Samiti president Rajgir Mahant said a meeting would be called and a strategy would be chalked out. The public had opposed the setting up of toll plaza but the then government did not pay any attention to it.

Meanwhile, the members of the Fourlane Sangharsh Samiti today met the ADM and raised objections against the toll plaza. They raised slogans against the NHAI and the government.

Samiti president Dinesh Sen said the Kullu administration had been urged through a memorandum that such arbitrary step was harmful for the public and the administration should direct the NHAI to withdraw the decision and continue with the earlier rates. If there was no solution soon, they would be forced to resort to an agitation.