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Assam: Tollgate fee hiked by 10 per cent, new rates effective from April 1

Assam: Tollgate fee hiked by 10 per cent, new rates effective from April 1

After the hike in power tariffs and essential medicines, the Assam government is now set to increase the tollgate fare once again.

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Tollgate fee hiked by 10 per cent in Assam Tollgate fee hiked by 10 per cent in Assam

After the hike in power tariffs and essential medicines, the Assam government is now set to increase the tollgate fare once again. 

Fees in as many as 7 tollgates in Assam have been hiked by 10 per cent, and this comes into effect from midnight of March 31.

On the otherhand, the All India professionals Congress (AIPC) Assam state unit has opposed to the upward revision of toll fees in Toll plazas in the state. 

In a press statement, the President of AIPC Assam state unit and State Congress secretary Gauravv Somani said that the National Highway Authority of India has decided to increase the told fee by 5% to 25% for all vehicles effective from April 1. 

Eventually, in Assam, the toll tax will be increased by 15% as informed. Somani further said NHAI has been setting up the toll plaza throughout Assam without proper recreational facilities, safety measures, fencing and restrooms for the truck drivers and passengers. 

"Similarly, according to rules, the increase in toll fee should not be implemented if the number of vehicles flying on roads has increased in comparison to the previous year, Somani complained. People of the state are forced to pay extra toll tax due to the inclusion of more and more toll plazas every 60 km. Due to its geographic location, the transportation cost of goods and commodities is high in comparison to other states of the country. Further increasing toll tax will affect transportation cost to and fro, which will adversely affect the economy and inflation," the press statement added. 

It should be noted that the government had already increased the toll tax by 15% last year affecting April 1, 2022 hence 15% increase in toll tax every year will have a significant impact on the prices of both essential and non-essential goods in the state. 

Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party's BTR coordinator Ranjan Kumar Brahma voiced his opposition to the construction of a new toll gate on NH-31 at Telipara in the Gosaigaon sub-division. 

Also Read: Assam: Aam Aadmi Party opposes toll gate construction at Telipara, calls out BJP government's inaction

This comes after years of incomplete construction on about 30 km of the national highway from Srirampur to Kachugaon Mahamaya temple, with 95% of the work remaining unfinished.

According to Brahma, the BJP government has inflicted a blow on the people with this new toll gate. "The distance from Gosaigaon to Siliguri is the same distance from Gosaigaon to Guwahati," he said. "However, on the way from Gosaigaon to Siliguri, there are only three toll gates, compared to five toll gates from Gosaigaon to Guwahati, with a higher amount of tollgate tax. Such an act of the government shocked the poor people. The poor and middle-class people are unable to climb the road with a car in production because of the tollgate."

Edited By: Atiqul Habib
Published On: Mar 31, 2023