Assam PCC president Gaurav Gogoi has urged Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari to suspend toll collection on national highways in Assam until they are “repaired and certified motorable.”
In a letter sent on Friday, Gogoi flagged “growing public resentment over toll collection on highways that remain in deplorable condition”, warning that the practice is eroding trust and worsening the burden of inflation.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), he said, continues to collect tolls on NH27 and NH37 despite “deep potholes, uneven surfaces, and frequent waterlogging” that endanger lives, damage vehicles and cause delays. He cited plazas between Sonapur–Raha (NH27/NH37) and Baihata Chariali (Madanpur)–Nalbari (Galia), as well as reports of accidents in Jagiroad, Raha and Bajali.
“Citizens cite rising toll charges amid floods, unemployment, and inflation. Truckers and transporters — vital to Assam’s agrarian economy — report unsustainable costs that push up commodity prices,” Gogoi wrote.
He also referenced a recent Supreme Court ruling that citizens “cannot be compelled to pay tolls for navigating gutters and potholes, symbols of inefficiency”. The ruling suspended tolls on NH544 in Kerala until repairs were certified, stressing that the legitimacy of toll collection rests on ensuring safe and unhindered travel.
“These observations apply squarely to Assam,” Gogoi stated, adding that NH27 and NH37 mirror the same unsafe conditions. He reminded Gadkari that he had earlier raised concerns over NH37, but the situation has since worsened.
Gogoi demanded that Gadkari direct the NHAI to suspend tolls at key plazas “until roads are repaired and certified motorable”; expedite maintenance, especially pothole filling and drainage, across Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat; and audit NHAI toll plazas in Assam to ensure compliance with maintenance standards.
“The issue now demands urgent intervention,” Gogoi said.