Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh): The decision of the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) to take toll tax from the vehicles on the Rewa-Amarkantak road has triggered resentment among the residents of the area.
Although MPRDC has not improved the road it is ready to charge toll tax from the vehicle owners from October 20, they said.
Except for a few parts which have been recently repaired, the entire road is in ruins, so charging tax by setting up toll plaza is not justified, they said.
According to official sources, the contract between MPRDC and the construction agency indicates that the firm was supposed to better the road before charging toll tax.
The Congress will launch an agitation, if MPRDC charges toll tax from October 20 without properly repairing the road, a leader of the party Sufiyan Khan said.
He said that the Youth Congress workers would put up a road blockade from October 18 to 20.
A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Kailash Tiwari also said that the officials of the MPRDC, Shahdol, had decided to start toll plaza by giving wrong information to the transport minister and to the chief minister.
Although the department is ready to take toll tax, it has yet to improve the road, Tiwari said, adding that toll tax should be taken only after getting correct information about the condition of the road.
Locals further said they would oppose charging toll tax by MPRDC.
