Private company takes a toll

KOCHI: The National Highway Samrakshana Samithi has demanded that the government should stop giving away the contracts of the national highways to corporate companies, as these companies would in turn loot the public. The demand has been brought to the attention of the Chief Minister.According to the Samithi convenor, the demand came in the wake of the decision made by the Guruvayur Infrastructure Limited, a corporate agency, to collect toll from the national highway running through the Angamaly-Mannuthy stretch.“The company started taking unholy fees from December 5, but it did not last even for a night as the public and the various ‘samithis’ there came in the dead of the night and destroyed the booths. This forced the toll collectors to stop. But there is a threat that they can restart the collection anytime,” Samithi Convenor Hashim Chennambilly said.The members of the samithi also alleged that the contractors were planning to collect huge amounts. “For one way journeys, they had set `55, `95, `190 and `310 for cars, light commercial vehicles, buses and container lorries, respectively. The toll for the two way journey is still higher,”  Chennambilly added. The samithi said, the company is doing this to compensate the amount, which is estimated to be `585 crore, that they had spent in the construction of the highway.Based on this, a meeting was held with the Chief Minister to bring the issue into the limelight. However, according to many, the meeting was a farce. “The minister said that conducting rallies against the decision to collect tolls from the national highways was understandable, but the government can not go back on the contract which was given to the corporate company,” he said.Samithi members allege that the statement made by the Minister was false and that there is a provision in the contract which allows the government to go back on the contract, which has been presently signed for an estimated period of twenty years. The samithi stated that the problem can be solved by the government by providing the BOT company a compensation. According to various committees, the idea of handing over contracts to the corporate companies will only be met with protests from every side.