After 432 days, toll collection resumes from today

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 14

With farmers across the state lifting their 432-day of morcha at 23 toll plazas tomorrow at 5 pm, the NHAI authorities are set to resume the levying of charges from the commuters by Wednesday evening.

A Jalandhar resident going to Nawanshahr/Ropar/Chandigarh or Ludhiana will now have to shell out slightly more on the toll plazas than what they were paying previously. Boards indicating a Rs 5 increase for one side and Rs 10 hike for both sides have been put up at the toll plazas of Behram on Phagwara-Nawanshahr section and Kathgarh on Nawanshahr-Ropar road and Ladowal toll plaza between Jalandhar and Ludhiana.

While a car, van or a jeep driver was earlier paying Rs 50 for single side trip at Behram, the levies have been increased to Rs 55. For the double use, the charges have gone up from Rs 75 to Rs 85 now. Likewise, Kathgarh toll charges which were earlier fixed at Rs 55 for a single trip have gone up at Rs 60. The two-way charges at this section which were Rs 80 will now be Rs 90.

At Ladowal, a car, jeep or a van driver, who used pay Rs 130 for one-way and Rs 190 for two-way passage, would now pay Rs 135 as single use charges and Rs 200 for both sides. The monthly pass has been increased from 3,905 to Rs 3,985.

Rajiv Jadon, manager of the tollway at Behram, said: “The increase of toll rates has not come now. It came into effect from March 31 onwards this year. The NHAI revises its rates at the start of every financial year. It is just that the tolls were not working and hence people will feel the change now”.

The farmers occupying the toll plaza at Behram today said they would vacate the site tomorrow at 5 pm and handover everything to the managers. BKU Doaba Circle president Baljinder Singh said: “We had been occupying this toll for over 432 days in protest against the imposition of farm laws. Today, we organised path to conclude our dharna after which we distributed langar and sweets to all the passersby. We will hand over all controls to the toll staff clearing our tents and hutments by tomorrow evening.”

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