Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday announced closure of two toll plazas — Ladda and Mandi Ahemdgarh — on Sangrur-Ludhiana road as their term is going to expire on Sunday midnight.

“These toll plazas were seeking extension of 20 months or compensation worth Rs 50 crore but I have rejected it and ordered closure of these tolls in larger public interest,” said the Chief Minister while addressing a huge gathering at Ladda.

The Chief Minister said that the toll was started on September 5, 2015, for a period of seven years. “This toll was a ‘gift’ of the then Akali government whose candidate had emerged victorious in by-poll held in April 2015....Though former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had promised that this toll will not be installed, they took a U-turn and toll was made functional in September immediately after their candidate won the by-poll,” said Mann.

For seven years, people shelved huge amount of money from their pockets to pass through these toll plazas, said Mann, revealing that as MP, he also raised the issue of exorbitant toll rates in the Parliament but to no avail. However, he asserted that since the term of toll plazas will be over by midnight of September 4, from Monday, these toll plazas will not be functional.

Describing it as a major relief to the people, the Chief Minister emphasised that people can travel freely on road without paying whopping toll on both of these toll plazas from Monday. He revealed that the companies operating these toll plazas have requested the State Government to extend their tenure for 20 months or give compensation worth Rs 50 crore for huge loss due to COVID and farmers agitation. However, Mann unequivocally said that he had rejected both the pleas as corona was a global disaster and farmers’ agitation was the result of draconian farm laws of Central Government, for which the Union Government had apologised later.

The Chief Minister categorically said that any other person would have agreed to the proposals of the company but “I keep the interests of Punjabis above that of the company and decided to close it”.

Mann reminded the people that due to such toll plazas, the prices of common goods are escalating as their transport charges enhance after crossing every toll. Toll plaza owners enhance the charges as per their whims and fancies thereby putting huge burden on pocket of common man, he added.

The Chief Minister further said that the State Government is regularly working for restoring the state’s pristine glory. “It is matter of great pride and satisfaction for me that Tata Group will setup a big project in the state near Ludhiana with an investment of Rs 2,600 crore,” he said while emphasising that this is biggest investment by Tata steel after Jamshedpur and more key industrial projects will be set up in the state in coming days.

“This is because now these companies are coming for investing in state and are signing agreement with Punjab...Earlier, such investors ran away from investing as they were forced to sign agreement with ruling families instead of the State,” said Mann quipping that his predecessors used to ask that what benefit their families will get from such projects. “But on contrary, now, I asks how many youth will get jobs from these projects,” he added.