Surathkal tollgate shifting doubtful; New tender floated

Mangaluru: Days after Union minister Nitin Gadkari said Surathkal tollgate would be shifted inside the New Mangalore Port Trust, the government website is showing that a tender has been floated for toll collection at NITK tollgate for the next year.

The tender invite was posted in the Central e-procurement portal on March 23 and the last date of the tender has been mentioned as 11 am on April 13. It also mentions the annual bid as Rs 49.05 crore.

The tender announces 25 percent concession for vehicles that return through the gate within 24 hours. As per the notification signed by K V Singh of the NHAI central office, tenders will be scrutinized on April 18.

Meanwhile, all the six tollgates in the coastal region have upwardly revised the toll charges from April 1. The rates have been hiked by about nine percent.

It may be recalled that Union minister Nitin Gadkari had said in the parliament that tollgates located within 60 km distance would be scrapped.

Now people are claiming that Gadkari’s reference was only to those roads where the same firm executed the contract. Therefore, one out of the three gates, Talapady, Hejamady or Sastan, might be removed. It is also being analysed that either the gate at NITK Surathkal or Brahmarakootlu might close.