DMK MP Urges Closure of Toll Booths and Fare Rollback in Tamil Nadu
Delhi: In a bid to address the concerns of Tamil Nadu residents, DMK MP Tamilachi Thangapandian met with Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday to discuss the closure of toll booths that have been operating for over a decade in the state. Thangapandian presented a petition to Gadkari, urging the removal of toll booths and the withdrawal of the toll hike at all locations.
Sharing the details of the meeting on his Twitter page, Thangapandian wrote, “Today (27.07.2023), I met the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Mr. Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi and submitted a petition to close the toll booths that have been operating for more than 10 years in Tamil Nadu and withdraw the toll hike in all the toll booths.”
Currently, Tamil Nadu regulations dictate that toll booths should be established only at one point every 60 kilometers. However, in some major towns, toll booths have been set up within a distance of 40 to 50 kilometers along national highways, collecting tolls from entering vehicles.
One such example is the 48-kilometer distance between Vikravandi customs post in Villupuram district and Ulundurpet customs post. Instead of setting up the Ulundurpet toll booth near Pillur, authorities have placed it at Ulundurpet Sengurichi to collect tolls from vehicles traveling from Chennai to Salem.
Another instance occurs between Ulundurpet toll booth and Kallakurichi Weeracholapuram toll booth, spanning just 39 kilometers. Two toll booths have been established within this short distance, with the aim of collecting tolls from vehicles entering Kallakurichi city. Similarly, the distance between Weeracholapuram toll booth and Salem district Nathakrai toll booth on the same road is only 42 kilometers, leading to concerns about the excessive number of toll booths across Tamil Nadu targeting major cities for toll collection.
According to Nitin Gadkari, Tamil Nadu should ideally have 16 toll booths, considering the regulation of one toll booth per 60 kilometers. However, the state currently has 48 toll booths. While the Tamil Nadu government has expressed its opposition to the toll booths, the responsibility lies with the central government.
Therefore, DMK MP Tamilachi Thangapandian presented the petition to Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, emphasizing the closure of toll booths that have been in operation for more than a decade in Tamil Nadu and the withdrawal of the toll hike at all locations. The central government now faces the decision of whether to address the concerns of Tamil Nadu residents regarding toll booths.