TENKASI: Nearly 1,000 people, including traders from the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu and members from political parties, staged a protest in Alangulam against setting up of a toll plaza in Maranthai, on the Tirunelveli-Tenkasi state highway on Tuesday.
Traders across Alangulam shut their shops in support of the protest.
Addressing the protesters, Peramaippu’s president Vikramaraja said that the new toll gate being constructed on the stretch will lead to an increase in the price of vegetables in Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts.
“Two major vegetable markets, one in Alangulam and the other in Pavoorchatram are located along the state highway. If a toll gate is set up, the transportation cost of the vegetables will increase, which will ultimately burden the people. We have already petitioned Public Works Minister EV Velu in this regard. We won’t allow toll collection on this state highway, which is just being widened. The minister should take our demands to Chief Minister MK Stalin after his return from Spain,” he said.
“If the DMK wants votes from traders, drivers and people in general in the upcoming elections, it should remove the toll gate. The proposed toll gate will also lead to rifts between the officials and the public,” Vikramaraja said, adding that the next course of action against the toll gate will be decided on Tuesday.
Addressing the protesters, Alangulam AIADMK MLA PH Manoj Pandian said people cannot get rid of the toll gate later if they don’t protest against it at the start. “We should remember that people had to struggle a lot to get rid of the Navalur toll gate. If the DMK government will not stop the construction of the toll gate at Maranthai, it will impact the election results.”