BENGALURU: Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Saturday withdrew the hike in the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway toll fee in view of widespread criticism. This means motorists will continue to pay Rs 135 for a single journey on the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta section.
The officials said, “The toll revision for this stretch will be done at a later stage. The proposal will be sent to the authorities concerned and a committee of experts to study it before taking a final decision. We will review the situation after some time.”
Earlier, NHAI said the revision was part of the annual exercise done across the country. However, motorists and social activists opposed the hike stating that the toll started only on March 14. On March 27, the NHAI issued a notification announcing the revision of the expressway toll. It had announced that the toll would go up to Rs 165, a hike of Rs 30.
Some officials and experts said that the decision has been withdrawn in view of the Assembly elections in the state. Reacting to the NHAI’s move to withdraw its decision on toll revision, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha took to social media and said that the toll hike has been put on hold and it will be revised after work on service roads is completed. The expressway has been in the news since its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12.