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-   -   Illegal toll plaza at Surathkal EDIT: Now Removed (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/213794-illegal-toll-plaza-surathkal-edit-now-removed.html)

Thanks to Shyam for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Looks like a local toll which does not come under the NHAI. Similar tolls are also present on the Hubli-Dharward bypass which does not come under NHAI.
Best course of action is to raise a ticket on Pgportal and also a direct complaint to NHAI on this. I am due to travel on this road next week. Will share my experience as well.

This toll booth (I wouldn't call it a toll plaza because it's too crude) has been operational for a lot longer than 2 years - probably 5. It was supposed to be a temporary set up until the actual toll plaza at Hejamady was ready (12km from here).

But now the Surathkal Toll booth still collects toll along with the one at Hejamady. There is a lot of politics behind this. People have protested, held dharnas, resorted to voilence - but it does not seem to have any effect.

Isn't there a rule that 2 toll gates can't be closer than 60 km? On this stretch you will find 3 toll gates within 60 km. (There's another one at Sasthan, 48 kms from the Hejamady Toll Plaza)

I found the same toll in the NHAI website, but name of the Concessionaire is different.




Source: 1, 2.

This tamasha has been going on for some time, also discussed a couple of times on the forum: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post4492756

There have been so many flip-flops on the issue, it's obvious that local politicans and their goons are benefiting from this collection, so it is in their interests to continue:

https://www.google.com/search?q=toll...w=1280&bih=606

A similar illegal toll plaza exists at Karnataka- TN border in Attibele. It was once raided by DC of Bangalore around 8 years back, the toll started operating again after few days.

I have shared the Karnataka High court judgement copy related to this incident at Attibele Toll plaza.

Where exactly is this illegal toll plaza? The only tolls I have seen on that road is the one at the end of BETL flyover and the one at the TN-KA border at Attibele. Both of them seem to be NHAI plazas that accept Fastag.


Could you maybe pinpoint the location of this illegal plaza in relation to the BETL one and the Attibele one?


Thank you and cheers

Doesn't the judgement say that the toll booth is allowed?

It was illegal and hence raided by DC in 2012, the lobby was so powerful that regulations were changed to accommodate such toll plazas. Where is the service road as per norms? We localites still not pay the tolls.

He was talking about the attibelle one. Was illegal and became legal after due to political play in background. :deadhorse

There are lots like this, and this might depend on the contract that was drafted before building. Hubli-Dharwad bypass, CBE bypass, Madurai Ring Road, NICE. Heck even Paranur whose section of highway has existed for 27 years now is still collecting toll.

Thanks to Shyam for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Thanks to Nanda Kishore for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

If there are illegal toll plazas, then would Fastag work for them?

I would assume that Fastag will not be used as this data will get reported to NHAI. Is it safe to say that if Fastag works, then the toll plaza is not illegal?