Guwahati, Sept 11: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Assam on Monday demanded immediate closure of four toll gates, alleging that the Galia toll gate, Madanpur toll gate, Nazirakhat toll gate and Mikirati Hawgaon toll gate have been “illegally set up” in the state.
The party further urged the state and national authorities to take prompt and decisive action to reimburse “the unlawfully collected taxes” (amounting Rs 249.25 crore) in the name of toll tax from the four toll plazas in the year 2022 to all the concerned taxpayers/citizens besides reimbursement of a sum of Rs 234.77 crore in total since their commissioning till February 2022.
While the Galia toll plaza was commissioned on November 16, 2021, the other three were commissioned during mid-2020.
“To prevent further unauthorised tax collection, it is imperative that the four tollgates are declared unlawful by the Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari in Parliament and permanently closed,” a statement from the party read.
“The recent announcement by Union minister Gadkari reinforces the need for strict adherence to national regulations governing toll plaza spacing. Besides, an extensive awareness campaign is necessary to inform citizens about their rights and obligations concerning toll taxes, and to keep them informed about the actions being taken to rectify the situation,” it read.
The party further stated that the citizens of Assam deserved a toll collection system that was lawful, transparent and accountable.