Around 500 people joined a protest on the Delhi-Noida-Direct Flyway on Sunday against the “unjustified” toll levied on commuters plying on it, throwing traffic on this crucial expressway out of gear. Led by former Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Uttar Pradesh minister Nawab Singh Nagar, the protestors stopped the toll bridge employees from collecting the fee and asked them to leave. They allowed the vehicles to pass, reported NDTV.
Anil Gupta, the convener of Janhit Morha under which the protest was organised, said, “We will not allow any toll henceforth through the duration of our indefinite protest.” They later submitted a petition to Additional District Magistrate Vineet Kumar and addressed it to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, asking for a CAG inquiry into the toll tax. Nawab Singh Nagar told NDTV that the toll bridge company had spent Rs 183 crore to build the expressway in 2001. “They claimed they used more than Rs 400 crore, but even that cost has been covered. Now they are just continuing to loot people.”
While the protesters have vowed to continue their agitation till the toll was not withdrawn, City Magistrate Bachu Singh said they were “doing their best” to strike a settlement with Janhit Morcha, and "end the protest end as soon as possible".
According to NDTV, the large police contingent that was present at the site did not do much to stop the agitators. However, a police officer told the Times of India that the protest was a peaceful one, adding, "We are here to ensure that no one takes law and order in their hands." said a police officer.
The protest has been planned at a time when the Allahabad High Court is due to hear a PIL filed by Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Associations for a toll-free DND flyway. The hearing is scheduled for later this week.
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