Rourkela: The Sundargarh Nagarik Committee organised its Chetabani (awareness) rally on Monday evening to protest against toll tax collection on the Biju Expressway.

More than 600 persons took part in the rally on bikes and in four-wheelers. The rally started from the town and ended at the Masnikani toll gate.

After the rally, a meeting was also held near the toll gate. Sundargarh residents came together to oppose toll tax collection on the 162km stretch between Rourkela and Sambalpur.

The committee members demanded complete abolition of the toll tax for the Sundargarh residents. A similar agitation was held in Sambalpur, demanding allowance for the residents of the district to use the road.

The agitators argued that the district residents had been paying toll tax for the same road for 17 years. "We cannot pay for the same road twice, and this is a huge burden on us," said committee president Ashok Das.

He said: "Tax can never be collected in a scheduled district until and unless it gets the approval of the governor, Assembly and also the gram sabha. Everything has been violated in this case, and this must be addressed immediately," said Das, who is a lawyer by profession.

There are three toll gates on the 162km stretch of road. The gates are at Laing near Rajgangpur, Masnikani near Sundargarh and finally before entering Sambalpur town.

Speakers addressing the meeting demanded abolition of the toll for the residents of Sundargarh. "We handed over a memorandum, addressed to the chief minister, to the district collector. This was handed over to the collector's representative sub-collector Birasen Pradhan."

Das further said: "We demand complete abolition of tax collection."

There should also be parity in tax collection for others. There are different rates for various vehicles at the gates, he said. "Even vehicles carrying the agricultural produce are also not being spared when the rules stipulated by the National Highways Authority of India mention that such vehicles should be exempted from the tax purview."

Sundargarh MLA Yogesh Singh and Talsara MLA Prafulla Majhi were also present in the protest.

Last Saturday, the committee had called a district-wise Sundargarh strike, opposing the toll collection.