BKU continues siege of Dasna toll bridge

Ghaziabad: A day after allowing traffic to pass through free of cost, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) continued to lay siege to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Dasna toll bridge in Ghaziabad on Monday.

The BKU plans to make the toll road in Saharanpur and the DND (Delhi-Noida-Delhi) Flyway "toll-free" from Dec 4 and Dec 7, respectively, BKU Meerut division president Rajvir Singh said. "Our next target will be to liberate commuters from paying toll at the DND Flyway in Noida," he said. Rajvir Singh also threatened to make all the highways in Uttar Pradesh toll-free and termed the collection of toll on the national highways as an "extortion" from the commuters. He said the collection of toll at the Dasna toll bridge was in violation of the norms laid down by the NHAI. "According to the NHAI rules, a toll bridge cannot be established within a 10-km radius of any municipal body. The Dasna toll bridge is hardly two km from Ghaziabad municipal limits," he said. Ghaziabad District Magistrate Aparna Upadhyay said: "The district administration would play a role of a facilitator. Only the union surface transport ministry can take a decision on the realisation of toll." Upadhyay said the administration will "maintain the law and order at all cost" and would "remain neutral". He added that the district administration was trying to facilitate a meeting between NHAI officials and BKU leaders. IANS