JAMSHEDPUR: Ghatshila JMM legislator Ramdas Soren along with a large number of party workers staged a day-long dharna on NH-33 on Wednesday protesting the setting up of a second toll plaza near Galudih.
Ghatshila is around 36 km from Jamshedpur.
Ramdas said the rules by Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari in Parliament states that toll plazas can be set up at an interval of 60 km on national highways, but here they have been set up at a distance of 32 km.
The other toll plaza is near Dhalbhumgarh.
The MLA said it will be an extra financial burden for those, includinmg daily wagers, who regularly use the NH-33 to go to Jamshedpur.
The poor will suffer the most as they will have to spend nearly double the amount they paid earlier, he added.
“Moreover, as Jamshedpur is the headquarters of East Singhbhum district, people have to go there often for various kinds of work in government offices. After the setting up of a second toll plaza, buses plying on this route may raise their fares. Also, a large number of students travel to and fro everyday between Ghatshila and Jamshedpur to attend colleges. It will be an economic burden on them too,” the MLA said.
He demanded that the government should take decisions in the interest of the locals, most of whom are poor adivasis.
If the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) tried to collect tax at the new plaza, the JMM would intensify its agitation, he warned.
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