8/14/2019 23.12.08.dh-nice toll collection illegal: congress

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DH NEWS SERVICE

B ANGALORE : The Congresshas alleged that the collec-tion of toll on the BMIC roadis illegal. MallikarjunKharge, Leader of the Oppo-sition in the Assembly, hassaid that as per the Memo-randum of Understanding(MoU) signed in 1997, tollshould be collected underthe Toll Authority Act,which has not been enactedby the Karnataka Legisla-ture yet.

Addressing a press con-ference on Monday, he saidthat the Public Works De-partment issued a notifica-tion on toll collection onBMIC road under the Kar-nataka Highways Act (1964).As for the MoU, a separatelaw should be enacted to au-thorise a private body to col-lect the toll.

Unless such an act ispassed in the Legislature,toll could not be collected,Kharge said.

On the basis of the Act,the toll charter should be fi-nalised and notified to the

public, he said, and arguedthat the government had notfollowed this procedure.The toll collection is illegal.The State governmentshould direct the NICE tostop collecting toll until allmandatory norms are ful-filed, he said.

Kharge blamed the Stategovernment for the exorbi-tant toll tariff.

As per the information Ihave gathered, NICE in-formed the Public Works De-partment of the toll tariff well in advance. But the gov-

ernment did not respond toit. The government shouldhave asked the company toreduce the price. Consider-ing the governments silenceas approval, the companystarted collecting toll. Hadthe government acted at theright moment, protestsagainst the price could havebeen averted, he said.

Leader of the Oppositionin the Legislative Council VS Ugrappa said that as perthe MoU, the promoter wasallowed to collect toll only af-ter completing the first

phase of the work. The firstphase includes 41 kms of Ring Road, 9.1 kms of linkroad and 12 kms of express-way on the Bangalore side.As the promoter has notcompleted the work, he isnot allowed to collect toll,he said.

Toll collection illegal: CongBANGALORE, DHNS: Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappahas said the governmentwill appeal to the NICE toexempt two-wheelers andtractors from toll on BMICroad. Speaking to presspersons in Bangalore onMonday, the CM said thatthe toll tariff was toohigh.

The government was of the opinion that two-wheelers and tractors de-served exemption fromtoll. Public Works ministerC M Udasi would speak tothe NICE Managing Direc-tor Kheny and within aday or two the revised tar-iff would be announced.

F E E H I G H : C M

One of the NICE tollgates