AIADMK to protest against opening toll plaza illegally at Thuvakudi: EPS

CHENNAI: Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday announced the party would stage a protest on February 23 against the Central government and the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) for installing toll plaza along the Trichy-Thanjavur National Highway - 67 at Thuvakudi. The toll plaza has been installed half-a-kilometre from the toll plaza at Valavanthankottai in violation of the rules and it would have an adverse impact directly on the people.

The toll plaza at Valavanthankottai in the NH 67 and being operated for the last 13 years and the MoRTH, now, established a toll place at Thuvakudi, the entry point of the 24 km long bypass connecting Thuvakudi and Jeeyapuram. It was not even half a km from the toll plaza at Valavanthankottai, said Palaniswami.

Former MP and the party functionary P Kumar wrote a letter to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on November 21, 2021 to draw his attention to the issue. He also cited the Fee Rules 2008, which says that the distance between two adjacent toll plaza should be 60 kms. The ministry, while taking part in a debate in March 2022 in the Rajya Sabha, assured that the Thuvakudi toll plaza would be removed. However, nothing happened despite repeatedly flagging the issue.

Now, the authorities have decided to operate the toll Plaza at Thuvakudi on a trial basis from February 14 this year. This forces the road users to pay the toll twice within half a km of travel. It was anti-people and it have an adverse impact on regular road users, said the AIADMK leader and criticised that the DMK sitting MP Tiruchy Siva nor the state minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who was elected from Thiruverumbur constituency, did not raise their voice against the toll plaza issue nor registered their condemn against the Centre.

"Since the people are affected directly due to the toll plaza, which established against the rules, the party will stage a massive protest at Thuvakudi against the Centre, the union minister, and the National Highways Authority of India. The party will also register its protest against the state government for not being concerned about the people's wellbeing, " said Palaniswami.

Former minister M R Vijaybaskar, former MP P Kumar along with senior party functionaries, he said and urged the party cadres and public to participate in the protest in a large number to register their strong protest.