Toll Booth Protest In Tamil Nadu Causes Traffic Chaos

On Monday, members of the Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi political party, led by MLA Abdul Samad, organized a protest at the Thuvakkudi toll booth in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. The demonstration, aimed at opposing toll rate increases, resulted in significant traffic congestion and alleged vandalism of the booth's glass frames.

Protesters voiced concerns over the bi-annual toll fee hikes, arguing that they burden commuters and drive up prices of essential goods due to increased transportation costs. They called for an immediate halt to fee increases and the closure of toll booths operating with expired licenses.

MLA Abdul Samad highlighted that Tamil Nadu has 67 existing toll booths, with three new ones recently opened in Villupuram. He claimed that these booths collectively generate about Rs 50 crore in daily revenue, amounting to an annual toll collection of Rs 18,000 crore across the state.

Samad also mentioned that despite raising the issue in the state Assembly, where Minister AV Velu acknowledged that 30 toll booth licenses had expired, no action had been taken by the Union Government. The MLA questioned the necessity of toll booths, pointing out that the state already collects Rs 7,000 crore annually in road tax from new vehicle purchases.

The protest disrupted traffic on the busy Trichy-Thanjavur highway for over an hour, causing inconvenience to commuters and drawing attention to the ongoing debate over toll fees in Tamil Nadu.