Yogi Adityanath government’s new directive to provide separate lanes for MlAs and MPs at toll plazas across Uttar Pradesh, in the event of traffic pile-ups has attracted the ire of the opposition parties saying this decision smack of favoritism.
In his letter to district magistrates across UP dated July 15, additional chief secretary Sadakant said that as per rules notified by the Centre, no road toll would be charged from any MlA or MlC of the UP Assembly or MPs from the state.
“All district magistrates will ensure that toll plazas under their jurisdiction will provide a separate lane to MPs and MlAs in the event of traffic jams,” the letter said, also saying that authorities of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are expected to cooperate in the matter.
However, opposition parties criticised the move saying instead of providing the separate lanes to emergency vehicles like ambulances and others, the government are providing separate lane to politicians.
UP Congress vice-president Satyadeo Tripathi said on the one hand the government had declared that it wanted to curb VIP culture by removing red and blue beacons from ministers and officials vehicles, and on the other it was passing such orders which would reinforce VIP culture.
“Such orders will certainly create difficulties for toll plaza operators. Besides such separate land should only be for emergency services like Ambulances, fire brigades and others but not for politicians,” he said.
However, an officer on anonymity, said that legislators and parliamentarians hardly move without four to five vehicles when they travel on national and state highways where the toll plazas are erected. Though they are already exempted from paying toll tax, when plaza employees ask the unofficial vehicles accompanying them to pay up, these MlAs or MPs and their followers turn rude, sometimes violent. In such cases, the law and order situation is also affected.