Sarore Toll Plaza | Day 2: Chaos continues; FIR against Contractor, BJP seeks abolishment
Single counter to issue monthly pass triggers queues, irks locals
AVINAV VERMA. Updated: 10/13/2019 10:31:23 AM

JAMMU: Flow of traffic was completely messed for the second consecutive day on Saturday at the newly functional Thandikhui toll plaza at Sarore on Jammu-Pathankot national highway, even as an FIR has been lodged against the contractor of the plaza and his employees for allegedly manhandling a bus driver.
Amid protests by cross-section of people over operationalisation of the plaza, the state BJP on Saturday demanded its immediate abolishment in view of the "present security and political turbulence" in the state.
With a complete chaos and confusion prevailing, the frequent commuters on this section of the national highway were also made to suffer as long queues were witnessed outside a lone counter set up by authorities to issue monthly passes at a reduced cost to those residing within 20 kilometers of the plaza.
Pertinently, NHAI on Friday officially resumed the toll collection service, taking people by surprise even as unprepared to handle such long number of vehicle traversing the highway, the officials of the toll plaza had a hard time managing the traffic flow.
On Saturday, the situation was no different and the commuters, especially government employees posted across Jammu, Samba and Kathua, remained worst affected with toll plaza.
The commuters were stuck in three-hour long traffic Jam on Jammu-Pathankot national highway due to alleged mismanagement by toll plaza contractor and bad design of toll plaza. In this regard, several videos were circulated on social media. In one of video, which was accessed by this scribe, an ambulance could be seen stuck in the jam that led up to the plaza.
“I have been in queue since last one hour to pay toll tax and getting late for my office. While I won’t debate on the government’s decision, but the toll plaza should have the provision to cater to huge rush of traffic on National Highway,” said a government teacher of Jammu posted in district Samba.
“They have announced provision of monthly passes for people residing within 20 km diameter of toll plaza. Ironically, they have set up only one counter to issue the passes, which is insufficient to manage the huge rush of people,” said another government employee of Samba posted in Jammu.
“This is total mismanagement. If this chaos continues for 2-3 days, it will soon spark agitation,” he added.
Pertinently, the commuters passing through the toll plaza in a car or other Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) have to pay Rs 65 for one-way journey and Rs 100 for return journey while in the case of mini bus or Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV), Rs 110 will be charged one-way journey and Rs 160 for return journey.
For buses and trucks the toll will be Rs 225 for one side journey and Rs 340 for return journey.
For the locals residing within 20 kilometers distance of the plaza, the authorities are issuing a monthly pass for Rs 265 but with only one person to cater to commuters, majority of people are returning without monthly passes being issued.
The mismanagement by contractor of the toll post and its employees can be gauged from the fact that they manhandled a bus driver following arguments on payment on the first day toll plaza on Friday.
The video of this incident was shared on social media, in which toll post employees can be seen arguing with bus driver and the contractor of the plaza slapping its helper.
In this regard, an FIR has been lodged on Saturday against at Bari- Brahmana police station.
The FIR was lodged after a reliable information was received that the driver, identified as Roop Chand, was "abused and manhandled" at the toll plaza on the Jammu-Pathankot highway by the contractor and his staff over the issue of payment, a police spokesperson said.
He said a police party immediately rushed to the spot to verify the facts and circumstances.
"During the preliminary enquiry, it came to the fore that the contractor had involved in a heated argument with the bus driver over the issue of payment at toll plaza and thereafter he along with his associates started abusing and beating the driver," the spokesperson said.
He said a case under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code was registered at the Bari-Brahmana police station against the contractor and his employees, and further investigation is underway.
Facing traffic chaos and resentment among people, a delegation of prominent people meet BJP State president and appealed him to raise the issue with higher authorities, who also demanded its abolishing immediately from Delhi.
In a two-page letter addressed to the Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina Saturday also highlighted the resentment among the people over the "ill thoughtout" decision of local officers of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
The BJP leader said there was one toll plaza functioning at Ban on Jammu-Udhampur highway and another has been made functional at Sarore while one more toll plaza on Jammu-Pathankot highway is being made functional shortly at Hira Nagar in Kathua district.
"The distance between these toll plazas is in violation of the prescribed distance limit. They are at a far shorter distance inter-se than permissible. Further the plaza at Sarore is very badly designed," Raina said in the letter demanding its scrapping.
He said the Vashno Devi pilgrims have to pass through three plazas at Hira Nagar, Sarore and Ban within the short distance of 120 km.
"The people of the state are greatly agitated on this count and is giving us bad name," he said and requested for scrapping the entire plan of establishing the new toll Plaza's in Jammu region.
Scrapping of the new toll plaza is also important at this juncture, keeping in view the "present security and political turbulence in the state," the BJP leader said.
Several political parties including the Congress and National Panthers Party have also expressed their resentment on the new toll plaza's and threatened agitation for their abolishment.
Sarore toll plaza along with another toll plaza at Rajbagh in district Kathua, was supposed to be made operational in 2012 when the four-laning of the Jammu-Pathankot highway was completed.
Ironically, locals in the Sarore area, led by some political leaders, on May 6, 2014, had damaged the toll plaza at Sarore and warned of serious consequences if the authorities set up any toll collection centre there.


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