As many as 40 people, including 20 transporters, have been booked for allegedly causing damage to toll plaza and obstructing vehicular traffic at Pathankot-Amritsar National Highway 95 between December 7 and 10, police said.
Amritsar range DIG AK Mittal on Friday said transporters had allegedly obstructed the traffic by staging a dharna in the middle of the national highway near toll plaza. Accused were protesting against new toll plaza and its “exorbitant” rates. Mittal said he has asked SSP Rural Jasdeep Singh to initiate action on the FIR registered against the accused for causing damage to the property of toll plaza at Wariam Nanagal near Amritsar. Accused against whom the case was registered included a former BJP MlA from Batala, the SSP said. Officials of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had even met Punjab Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal on December 8, seeking their intervention in registering case against accused.