Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 23: Traders Federation Warehouse Nehru Market today appealed to the Government to abolish Sarore Toll Plaza in view of the latest statement of Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari in which he said that there should be no Toll Plaza within 60 kilometres on National Highways.
An urgent meeting was held at the Federation office, here under the president-ship of Deepak Gupta wherein all the office bearers participated.
Deepak Gupta said that Sarore Plaza should be removed immediately as there is less than 60 km distance between Ban Toll Plaza and Sarore Toll Plaza. “The Section 8 of the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, which read: Any other Toll Plaza on the same section of National Highway and in the same direction shall not be established within a distance of 60 kilometres,” he said.
He said that the distance between the two Plazas is approximately 37.04 kilometers as such the NHAI has violated its own rule and described the levying of toll tax at Sarore as arbitrary, unjust and an avoidable burden and called for its immediate winding up in the larger interest of traders, industrialists, tourists, pilgrims and above all the commuters.
Gupta highlighted the importance of Jammu as a most thronged pilgrim destination of North India and nearly 10 million pilgrims visit every year to pay obeisance at revered Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine.
He said that there was strong resentment among the people against the Toll Plazas on Jammu-Pathankot Highway including Samba and Lakhanpur. These Toll Plazas have become a symbol of exploitation for the people of Jammu region, he asserted.
Munish Mahajan, senior vice-president, Abhimanyu Gupta, vice president, Sham Lal Langer, general secretary, Vishal Gupta, secretary and Amit Gupta, cashier of the Federation were present during the meeting.
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