Plaza staff illegally block link roads near Bhadson and Samana

Patiala, October 1
Transferred to the private sector in Punjab, toll tax barriers are proving to be a major cause of harassment for the commuters who are “forced to shell extra bucks”. Enquiries revealed that the toll tax staffers illegally blocked the connecting nearby link roads, thus leaving commuters with no option but to pay toll.
While the two toll plazas, near Samana and Bhadson, are using muscle power by putting up “illegal hurdles” to block the link roads to nearby villages, ensuring a strict compliance that everyone should pay toll, the authorities concerned turned a blind eye towards it. While the Samana toll plaza is managed by Rohan Rajdeep Tollways limited, TCIL manages the toll plaza near Bhadson in Chehel village. The toll plazas were handed over to private companies on build-operate-transfer basis by the state government.
A to-and-fro visit through a toll barrier costs Rs 100, while it could have been free if link roads were to be used.
“What is your purpose of going to the village?” henchmen of the toll plaza in Samana asked and forcibly tried to stop The Tribune team from using the nearby link road via Chuppki village and Asarpur. “No one is allowed, except the villagers. If you have to go, you will have to pay the tax,” they said. The scene is the same at the toll plaza in Bhadson. “This road is blocked,” said security personnel of the toll company. “A few days back, my relatives were allowed to go only after a toll slip was issued,” said a villager from Asarpur. However, the officials of the PWD, that oversees the entire working of the plazas, feigned ignorance.
“They (plazas) are authorised as per the contract to block all the link roads in the five-km area,” said XEN, PWD, Patiala. He said the department and the government framed the contract.
Meanwhile, the residents questioned the logic behind the toll roads and why there was no option for them to use an alternate route instead.
“I pay road and vehicle tax to the state government, so there should be an alternate route. The government cannot just allow these companies to loot people like this,” said Deepinder Singh Sekhon, a local resident. However, staff from the toll plaza companies refused to entertain any media query, claiming that the PWD is the appellate authority to answer.
Punjab PWD Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said he was unaware of the issue. “I will look into the matter,” he said. Patiala DC Vikas Garg and SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill also feigned ignorance on the issue, promising stern action.
Courtesy: TNS