Shillong: Going by the signs, it looks like the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council is paying no heed to the order imposed by the State Government and instead it has been found that the toll gates of the KHADC continues to operate from the spot where they have been situated along the highways under its jurisdiction.
These toll gates of the KHADC collect a toll fee from trucks irrespective of the signs which state that the toll gates have been shut down. With regards to this, a few news correspondents conducted a sting operation by going to these toll gates especially those in parts of the Shillong Bye Pass road on the Saturday of last week in which they found and saw with their own eyes the continued operation of the KHADC people in collecting toll fees from both sides of the road.
The receipts issued showed the truck drivers having to pay a toll fee of Rs.200-Rs.400 in one toll gate and these receipts issued by the KHADC are for payment of the fee by the trucks from other States and the other is a receipt for transportation of essential items and also for vehicles which transit through the area.
Speaking with a few drivers who do not want to disclose their identity, they claimed that in one trip they need about Rs.3500/- as toll gate fees to pay at the toll gates along the Shillong Bye Pass road and there are more than 5 toll gates around 6-7 in number.
Therefore, upon finding and seeing this illegal action which contradicts the claims of the KHADC that it has shut down all toll gates under it.
As a reminder, in the previous month, the State Government had directed the KHADC as well as the JHADC to promptly shut down all their toll gates and at the same time the leaders of the Congress party in the State have blatantly alleged that these toll gates are of the United Democratic Party which leads the Executive Committee in the KHADC.
