Toll fee turns burdensome for city motorists at Aganampudi

Visakhapatnam: The demand to remove toll plaza from Aganampudi once again picks up momentum in Gajuwaka constituency of Visakhapatnam.

Set up at Aganampudi in 1997, the toll gate was made operational the following year.

The then TDP government mentioned that a toll gate was set up for the construction of a four-lane road from Anakapalli to Anandapuram. While the then State government provided Rs 63 crore for the construction of the toll plaza, it was supported by the World Bank. It was initially maintained by the R&B department and later the maintenance and fee collection part was handed over to the National Highway Authority.

Since then the National Highway Authority has been maintaining the toll gate and collecting the fee from the motorists.

However, former Gajuwaka MLA Palla Srinivasa Rao filed a case in the High Court through Gajuwaka Bar Association to remove the toll plaza. Following which, the toll gate was shifted to Salapuvanipalem of Parawada mandal. With this, the locals at Aganampudi heaved a sigh of relief. But, their relief did not last longer.

Subsequently, the National Highway Authority approached the Supreme Court to reopen the toll plaza back at Aganampudi and got a stay on the High Court verdict.

This led to the reopening of the toll plaza at the same place where it was established earlier.

As a result, people’s associations and political parties joined hands to fight against the toll gate operations for various reasons. The major reasons included the toll gate falling under the purview of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and a number of residential colonies forming a part of the neighbourhood.

On the other hand, the four-lane project from Anakapalli to Anandapuram has been completed and a toll plaza was opened along the route. “In this backdrop, the toll plaza at Aganampudi has to be closed because the burden of paying the toll fee is falling on the city motorists which is not appropriate,” explains Palla Srinivasa Rao, TDP former MLA.

Sharing his views, CPM GVMC floor leader and corporator B Gangarao, says, “The Central government is exploiting people by charging toll fee at Aganampudi which is very much against the rules as there should not be any toll gate within the GVMC purview. Moreover, the toll plaza had collected the fee five fold higher than its establishment cost within a few years of its operation.”

Meanwhile, Gundupalli Satish, who contested as North Andhra graduates MLC candidate, submitted a representation to regional officer of the National Highway Authority of India in Vijayawada requesting to relocate the toll plaza to Anandapuram NH road.