NHAI makes Lakhanpur toll plaza operational, Locals protest, demand dissolution of decision

Srinagar, July 21 : After six months of abolishing excise toll plaza from Jammu and Kashmir’s entry gate Lakhanpur in Kathua district, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) made Lakhanpur toll plaza in Kathua district operational from Tuesday morning.
The toll plaza was inaugurated by Ajay Kumar Rajak, project director, Jammu NHAI.
“It could not be made operational due to certain reasons. We have now made it operational and local people within a radius of 20-km would be issued a monthly pass,” Rajak said.
The NHAI has signed a Letter of Agreement for operationalisation of the toll plaza at Lakhanpur with Haryana-based Ranchordas Company. With this, all Kashmir-bound tourists and Vaishno Devi pilgrims entering or leaving J&K will now shell out extra money on toll at three different toll posts, Thandi Khui toll plaza, Ban Toll Plaza and Lakhanpur toll plaza.
Two more toll posts, one each at the upcoming Ring Road and Jammu-Akhnoor highway have also been proposed in the region.
The commencement of toll plaza triggered protests in the area.
A large contingent of police and paramilitary police personnel was deployed at Lakhanpur keeping in view the apprehensions of protests and unrest in the area.
“Jammu has become land of Toll Plaza.“All five districts of Jammu through which Jammu Srinagar Highway passes have toll Plazas. The new toll will adversely affect the Vaishno Devi pilgrims, who now have to pay road tax at three Toll Plazas to reach their destination,” said one of the protesters.
This is the fourth toll collection centre in Jammu province. “Toll plaza would prove the last nail in the coffin of transporters who have already been facing huge losses,” said another protester.
The protestors had a scuffle with the security personnel after they tried to march toward the toll collection centre. Later, they also courted their arrest in protest against operationalisation of the toll plaza.
Few days before People of Jammu, particularly of Kathua district had staged a massive protest over operationalisation of a new toll plaza at Lakhanpur on Jammu Pathankot stretch or road.
A large group of youth led by Congress leader Kashboo Bhagat had staged a sit-in, installed barricades and raised anti government slogans.
Speaking to KINS Bhagat had said that the time is not appropriate to tax people , who are already suffering from Corona pandemic.
“The financial health of people is not good, many youth lost their jobs during this Corona crisis, private sectors jobs already collapsed, no economic activities in the market. Instead of mitigating the problems of people, the government imposed more taxes,” she had said, adding, “we demand revocation or this toll plaza and special concession for people of Jammu in already established toll plazas”.
Earlier in October 2019 NHAI started toll plaza at Sarore along Jammu-Pathankot highway, which had witnessed severe protests in Jammu. After facing back-ash state BJP demanded immediate abolishment of toll plaza in view of the security and political turbulence in the state.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina had wrote two page letter to the Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, highlighted the resentment among the people over the “ill thought out” decision of local officers of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) but the reply of the letter never came.(Agencies)