2 days ago
Toll rate hike a blow to daily commuters, says Cong
AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, on Tuesday, alleged that the Narendra Modi-led government had given yet another blow to daily commuters and working-class citizens by increasing toll rates on the Hosur Road corridor, connecting Bengaluru and Tamil Nadu.
He said as per the new rates, the toll for cars at the Electronics City Flyover has increased from ₹60 to ₹65 (8.33% hike), while at the Attibele toll plaza, the rate has gone from ₹35 to ₹40 (14.29% increase).
Additionally, the monthly pass for cars at Electronics City has been raised from ₹1,795 to ₹1,885, and at Attibele, from ₹1,080 to ₹1,130 — a steep hike of ₹90 and ₹50 respectively, the Congress leader said.
He pointed out that BELT (Bangalore Elevated Tollway Limited), a private company operating under a concession agreement with NHAI, has once again hiked toll rates on Bengaluru's elevated expressway, proving that in Karnataka, even public roads are at the mercy of private profit.
'While the BJP-led Centre watches silently, the burden keeps falling on the backs of ordinary commuters. This is not infrastructure development, it's organised, authorised extortion,' he alleged.
He accused the Modi-led Central government of favouring private toll operators at the cost of ordinary citizens and demanded an immediate rollback. He also urged immediate rollback of the ₹50 LPG cylinder hike and ₹2/litre fuel excise hike.
'If Karnataka's BJP-JD(S) MPs and MLAs can't raise their voice against Delhi's loot, they should raise their hands and resign,' Mr Surjewala said.
