RAHA, July 24 - Raha toll plaza established by NHAI on the four-lane highway at Rontholi is not at all illegal as alleged by KMSS and other organizations on Sunday in a protest at Raha. It may mentioned here that the organizations on Sunday had demanded the closure of the Raha toll plaza.
In a report filed in response to a memorandum by KMSS and other organizations to Nagaon district administration, NHAI said that as per Ministry of Road and Transport and Highways (Department of Road Transport and Highways), New Delhi, gazatte notification, GSR 838 (E) dated 05.12.2008 in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9 of the National Highways Act 1956 (48 of 1956) and the National Highways (Rate of Fees) rules 1997, where in Section 8, location of toll plaza (1), part 3, is stated that: � Provided further that where a section of national highway, permanent bridge, bypass or tunnel, as the case may be, is constructed within the municipal or town area limits or within five kilometres from such limits, primarily for use of the residents of such municipal or town area, the toll plaza may be established within the municipal or town area limits or within a distance of five kilometres from such limits.�
In view of the above, the toll plaza located at Raha is not at all illegal as mentioned in the memorandum by the organizations, the NHAI on its report to the Nagaon Deputy Commissioner said.
The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader Akhil Gogoi, on the other hand, on Sunday demanded that the Raha toll plaza should be closed down as it was set up inside Raha town by violating the norms and guidelines of location of toll plaza mentioned in �The National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008 Act.� He said that referring to Clause 8 (1) of the above mentioned Act that the executing authority or the concessionarie, as the case may be, shall establish a toll plaza beyond a distance of ten kilometres from a municipal or local town area limits provided that the executing authority may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, locate or allow the commissionaire to locate a toll plaza within a distance of ten kilometres of such municipal or local town area limits, but in no case within five kilometres of such municipal or local town area limits.
