The Commerce and Transport Department would issue a formal notice stating withdrawal of higher toll fees from the passenger vehicles, thereby putting on hold its May 18 notification, which had been issued as the instruction of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
Department Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi said the enhanced toll fees have been shelved for the time being. “Our department will submit a report to the NHAI for relocating some of the toll plazas, which are causing inconvenience to the public, within ten days,” said he.
On May 27, Majhi had informed that the tollgates located at Pipili, Manguli, Panikoili, Sergarh and Baraguda (Bargarh district) were set up illegally.
After stiff opposition from private bus owners, the Minister last month had convened a meeting and assured them to look into their grievances of collection of hiked fees and also of the illegal tollgates.
However, on Saturday Chief Secretary AP Padhi after chairing a meeting on NH projects in the State attended by NHAI Chairman Raghav Chandra told reporters that it was not inappropriate to say that these tollgates were illegal.