BONGAIGAON, Aug 21 - The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti�s Bongaigaon district unit has also opposed the State government�s fresh initiative to reopen the toll gate on the National Highway at Doholapara near Bijni in Chirang district.
The unit�s general secretary Nandan Debnath today told the media that the government has been collecting Rs 6 per litre of diesel and petrol as cess in the petrol pumps from the customers since 2014 and around Rs 40,000 crore has been collected already in the name of construction and repairing works of highways. So, why should the people pay tax at toll gates? Debnath questioned.
He also said that highway authority has not completed the construction works of over bridges, resting shades every 60 km of the highway and plantations on the dividers of the highway.
Besides on purchase of new vehicles, road taxes are paid to the government by the vehicle owners, so why this huge amount of money is not being used in the maintenance of the highways? Debnath questioned the government and said that for these reasons, his organisation will not allow the operation of the toll gate at Doholapara.
The Samiti�s activists and local people had vandalised and burnt the toll gate on May 16, 2015 as a reaction against the toll gate authority which collected Rs 150 to Rs 300 from heavy vehicles and Rs 30 from light vehicles for a single trip. They charged 10 per cent more than the normal amount of tax from the Bhutan vehicles.
This toll gate had started operations on January 18, 2015. Mumbai-based Inderdeep Construction company had run the toll gate and its employees had to pay Rs 5.80 lakh daily to the company.
