Newskarnataka-Bantwal
Bantwal : It is a mixed bag of feelings for frequent travellers on the highway here. If there is joy on one side over the closure of the Panemangalore toll booth which was functioning since the past 12 years, there is also the worry over the double toll that would be collected at the newly started Toll Plaza at Brahmarakootlu.
The Toll Plaza has made big news right since day one, amid the widespread opposition. Future developments are now keenly awaited. Generally, toll collection begins on any highway or bridge, once the works are complete. But that has not been the case with Brahmarakootlu Toll Plaza.
The NH Authority has commenced toll collection even when 20 per cent of the works are yet to be completed. There is no denying that the Suratkal-BC Road four lane stretch works had hit several road blocks right since day one. The works on the 17.5 km stretch from Suratkal NITK to Nantur on the NH 17 and the 19.5 km stretch on NH 48 had commenced in June 2005. The project involved construction of seven flyovers and 5 mini bridges.
The contracting agency Ircon was given 30 months time to complete the works. As per the schedule the works were supposed to be completed by December 2007. Though only five out of the proposed seven flyovers were constructed, works on none of these are complete in the fullest sense.
The irony is that much works are incomplete close by the Brahmarakootlu toll plaza itself. Here, works on as much as 150 meter stretch of road are pending owing to a dispute. At BC Road the construction of service road, side drains, embankment at Tumbay and a bus shelter at Brahmarakootlu are also pending.
The main reasons attributed to the long delay in the highway works is the slow land acquisition process and court litigations after several land and building owners moved court.
In the meantime, a warning notice from the NH Department too has alerted the officials who have decided to go ahead with toll collection at Brahmarakootlu Toll Plaza even before the NH works were complete by 100 per cent.
It is learnt, the toll plaza is being operated through contractors.