Malda, Oct. 20: Private bus operators today blockedNH34 at Gajole and Baishnabnagar in Malda district for six hours to protest the imposition of toll by the National Highways Authority of India from today without completing the widening of the road.
The toll plazas at Gajole More in Gajole and 18 Mile in Baishnabnagar, 35km and 22km from here, respectively, could not function from 7am to 1pm as bus owners parked their vehicles at the spots, disrupting traffic on the highway.
Kajal Roy, the vice-president of the Malda District Bus and Mini-bus Owners Association, said the blockade was to protest the toll collection even before the highway widening was completed.
It is not clear on what basis the NHAI is collecting the toll. The NHAI website says the toll is Rs 2. 2 per km on the Malda- Farakka barrage stretch of NH34. We have also noticed that the rates at Gajole and Baishnabnagar are different. In Gajole, the buses are charged Rs 225 for an up and down trip within 24 hours. However, the rate at Baishnabnagar is Rs 185."
"We have contacted transport minister Subhendu Adhikary. If the toll is not withdrawn, we will take the buses off the roads," he added.
Dinesh Kumar Hansaria, the NHAI's Malda project director, said the toll was levied for the portions where widening had been completed.
"The toll is being levied for the completed portions of the highway. At the Baishnabnagar plaza, we are charging toll for a 43km stretch that has four lanes now. At Gajole, the toll is for a completed stretch of 46km," Hansaria said.
