Karkal: The process of installing tollgate at Belman, which was stopped earlier due to huge protest by the public, is restarted again. Vehicles plying on state highway 1 on Karkala - Padubidri stretch have to pay toll from October 15. The toll fee and other details of the toll gate, which will be built near the Government Pre-university College at Belman, are published in the newspapers of Tuesday.
An agreement in this regard has been signed between Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL) and Mithra Info Solution of Mysuru, the company which has taken the contract to collect the toll. Earlier there was a proposal to build a tollgate in front of the Belman church, which was cancelled because of the protest held by the public. However, now the present process has got the go-ahead and also the date of starting toll collection is fixed and there is a likelihood of local organizations staging a protest.
The roadside area beside the highway in front of the Government Pre-university College, Belman was cleaned and the work of building a systematic parking space, which was the dream of Belman market of many years, was completed at a cost of Rs 17 lac. Now the people are outraged that the tollgate is being set up at the same place.
Already there are two toll gates at Suratkal and Hejamady on the Mangaluru - Karkala route. If the Belman toll gate also starts operating, it will mean an extra burden on the wallets of the vehicle drivers and owners, who are already reeling under the price rise of petrol and diesel.
