Truck rams into dysfunctional Surathkal toll gate

Surathkal: A truck rammed into the non-functional toll gate at Surathkal here late Saturday night.

Police said the Eicher truck carrying vegetables was moving towards Udupi from Surathkal. The driver of the lorry, identified as Harsha, a resident of Bengaluru, was injured in the incident.

According to police, the overspeeding and carelessness led to the accident. The toll booth and an iron pillar of the toll gate were completely damaged. A case will be registered in this regard at Suratkal Police Station, they added.

However, locals claimed that the accident may have been caused due to low visibility last night especially due to the rains. The impact of the collision is said to have affected the structural stability of the pillars and it is feared they may collapse.

Locals said that after the toll gate stopped functioning, its power supply had been cut off. The booth is not visible from afar in the dark and motorists tend to lose control of the car to avoid collision once they near the toll booth. This has been leading to many accidents, they alleged.

Motorists allege that several vehicles are being damaged in the accident and the highways department must be held responsible for this. They are demanding the immediate removal of the toll booth structure.