Protestors Demand Shifting Of Kherki Toll Plaza after Link Road Was Dug Up
Nearly 350 m of the link road which was used by several residents of newly developed sectors around Dwarka Expressway, to avoid the toll, was dug up by the toll operator of the Kherki toll plaza. This enraged the citizens, causing nearly 500 of them to stage a protest march on Wednesday. They demanded that the toll plaza be removed and the link road repaired. 3 of the residents have been arrested by the police for rioting.
The protestors blocked NH8 around office hours (10.30 am) which caused a traffic jam for nearly 1.5 hours. The link road which connected Dwarka expressway to NH8 was metalled by the residents of the sectors in order to avoid paying the toll daily while commuting from office to home and vice versa. This was unjust on the part of the government say the residents.
Police had to intervene to maintain peace and decorum. This led to the arrest of 3 protestors at Kherki Daula police station under various IPC sections including 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of duty), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy). The arrested people are likely to be presented in court on Thursday.
Protestors, on the other hand, have demanded to go on a hunger strike if the government doesn’t meet their demands. According to the resident, they had pooled Rs. 3 Lakh for constructing the link road, however, MCEPL (Millennium City Expressway Private Limited), the toll operator, dug it up the very next day to avoid revenue losses.
The complaint against Kherki Daula toll plaza is an old affair, with residents claiming they have been demanding relocation of the same since 2016. Yashesh Yadav, president, DXP Welfare Association says that people residing there need to pay a toll every time they step out of their homes to go for work or pleasure. They have been protesting this for a long time and will continue to fight for justice. Other protestors add that apart from being a financial burden, the toll plaza also contributes to health issues, thanks to vehicular pollution.
As per S Raghuraman, CEO, MCEPL, they have a contract to collect toll tax till 2023. Since they are spending nearly Rs. 8 crores per month for maintaining the expressway, they claim they will continue collecting fees till the end of the contract.
