NITK toll gate issue: Talks fail; protestors to siege toll gate on Oct 18

Panambur: Irked by the National Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI) failure to declare a certain date regarding the clearance of the toll gate at NITK Surathkal on NH66 in the meeting held at the ACP’s office in Panambur on Friday, Surathkal Toll-Gate Virodha Samiti announced that the protest will commence as planned on October 18.

The meeting had been called by the district administration at the ACP’s office in Panambur in the backdrop of widespread support for the agitation called for opposing the operation of the tollgate. However, the officials of NHAI failed to give any concrete date for vacating the tollgate.

The NHAI officials proposed to drop the planned agitation as the process for vacating the toll gate will take some time. However, the Samiti did not agree to this.

Muneer Katipalla, the convener of the Samiti, said that nothing has come to fruition in the past six years despite assurances. The fight will go on until toll collection is stopped.

Assistant Commissioner Madan Mohan presided over the meeting.  ACP Mahesh Kumar, Project Director of NHAI Lingegowda, Surathkal Toll-Gate Virodha Samiti President Y. Raghavendra Rao, among others, were present.