Padayatra planned to oppose three toll gates in Bantwal taluk

Mangaluru: A joint action committee has been formed to oppose the proposed toll gates at Panakaje and Valalu and the existing toll gate at Brahmarakootlu in Bantwal taluk. As part of the protest, the committee will hold a padayatra in April against all three toll gates.A recent protest was held against the Brahmarakootlu toll gate on the Mangaluru–Bengaluru NH-75.B Shekhar, convenor of the Brahmarakootlu Toll Gate Action Committee, said committee members visited the under-construction toll gates at Panakaje in Beltangady and Valalu in Uppinangady. The delegation inspected the sites and discussed the next phase of the agitation. A march is planned for mid-April to demand the removal of the toll gates, he said. Local leaders and several prominent members of like-minded organisations were present near the Panakaje and Valalu toll gates.The committee's honorary president and former minister B Ramanath Rai and activist Muneer Katipalla explained the issues related to the new toll gates, stating that they were being constructed in violation of district regulations. They discussed future protests and called for unity among like-minded individuals, urging support for peaceful agitation.Rai expressed displeasure over the lack of response from people's representatives and criticised the highway authority's authoritarian approach, saying it had not held any hearings. He said the toll gates would inconvenience commuters on national highways in the district and called on the public to participate in the protest march planned for April.