BOKAKHAT: Various organizations protest opening of Rangamati toll gate

A CORRESPONDENT

BOKAKHAT: The highly controversial Rangamati toll gate has been opened from Monday without any prior public notice, dealing a blow to the people on the eve of Magh Bihu.

With the sudden opening of the toll gate, commuters using the route faced considerable inconvenience, leading to widespread public reactions. Immediately thereafter, the Golaghat District AATSA and the Raijor Dal Students’ Council staged strong protests in front of the toll gate. The two organizations warned that under no circumstances should toll tax be collected until the construction of National Highway 37 was completed.

Since the time of the toll gate’s construction, organizations such as AATSA, AASU, the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, and the Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti have strongly opposed the gate, describing it as a heavy burden imposed by the government on the common people and demanding its cancellation.

According to the allegations of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and the Chatra Mukti Sangram Samiti, the toll gate on National Highway 37 at Rangamati has been constructed in violation of established norms. They said that as per information obtained under the Right to Information Act, 189, toll gates across the country had been constructed illegally, of which four were in Assam.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had stated on the floor of Parliament that toll gates on national highways should ideally be placed at a distance of 60 kilometres from one another. Despite this statement, the Rangamati toll gate has been established, even though the distance between Rangamati and Rangajan is less than 60 kilometres.

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