The Central government led by PM Narendra Modi without paying heed to the numerous protests and oppositions is setting up toll gates one-after-another in Assam. This move of the centre has brought in great hardships for the people of the state. And if that is not it, the toll tax rates in Assam are higher than any other states in the country.
The centre has decided to set up toll gates at a fixed distance on each of the National Highways in the state. Currently, there are seven functional toll gates in the state namely- Nazirakhat (Kamrup) and Raha(Nagaon) on NH 37, Patgaon(Kokrajhar), Dahalpara(Bongaigaon) and Madanpur(Kamrup) on NH 31 and Mikirati Hawgaon (Hojai) on NH 36 and Manderdisa (Dima Hasao). However, the central government along with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is determined to increase its number.
The government is preparing for the launch of a tollgate in Lakhimpur. In addition, toll gates will come up at Bogibeel and the Rangajan area of Golaghat in 2021. There is also a proposal to set up two toll gates between Dergaon and Janji-Dimou four-lane road which is currently under construction. Moreover, the toll gate at the Kolia Bhomora Bridge which was shut down in 2016 will be reopened once the construction of a bridge adjacent to it is completed.
Toll tax is levied at the gates in the name of repairing and maintaining the national highways. For small vehicles, the tax rate in Assam is around Rs. 1.55 per km while for commercial vehicles the rate increases up to five to six times.
It is worth mentioning that the toll rates in the other states are drastically low as compared to Assam. According to reports, in the case of small vehicles, the rates are Rs. 0.72 per km in Chattisgarh, Rs. 0.95 per km in Meghalaya, Rs. 1.14 in Madhya Pradesh, Rs. 1.02 in Uttarakhand, Rs. 1.18 in Kerala, Rs. 1.19 in Andhra Pradesh and a toll of Rs 1.27 is levied in Gujarat.
Meanwhile, the regional head of NHAI Alok Kumar earlier in the year had said, “We have spent Rs 11,000 crore to build this 600 odd kilometre and we plan to collect Rs 217 crore per year as toll tax.”
Also, the central government is planning to set up toll gates every 60 km in the National Highways. And if this comes into action then a small vehicle travelling from Guwahati to Tinsukia will have to pay an amount of around Rs. 800 which is just absurd for the common man.
The neutral nature of the Sarbananda Sonowal led government in Assam also does not help and it has given a free run to the central government to set up toll gates after toll gates without any objections. The higher toll tax rates also rub salt to the wound of the people.
While speaking to Headline8, businessman Bhrigu Mahanta said, “I travel from Jorhat to Guwahati very frequently. The tax I have to spend on the gates amounts to more than my fuel expenses. This is a ridiculous way of collecting taxes. We are already paying the road tax so there is no point in paying another tax for the maintenance of roads.”
With the prices of fuel sky-rocketing and the COVID pandemic crippling the people the excessive toll rates in Assam needs to be regulated. Moreover, most of the toll gates are operating even before the roads are fully constructed which is just unfair to the commuters who have to pay a huge amount for travelling.