Bhagwant Mann shuts down Moga toll plaza

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday reached the Moga-Kotkapura road in Baghapurana sub-division of Moga district to shut down a toll plaza. He said it was the 10th toll plaza to be shut down in the state since the Aam Aadmi Party assumed power.

Interacting with the media after shutting down the Singhawala Toll Plaza, Mann said commuters were paying a collective amount of Rs 44.43 lakh as toll charges on a daily basis while crossing the ten toll plazas.

He said, “With the closing down of these ten toll plazas, the common people will be immensely benefited. People travelling on the Moga-Kotkapura road used to pay a collective amount of Rs 4.68 lakh daily as toll charges while crossing the Singhwala Toll Plaza but now their money will be saved.”

Terming the operation of toll plazas an “open loot”, Mann said, “It is surprising that the previous governments, instead of taking action, patronised them (toll plazas) by turning a blind eye.”

“None of the toll plazas have ambulances or recovery vans despite a provision for the same in the agreements but the previous governments continued to allow them to mint money from the general public,” Mann alleged.

The Chief Minister said that the agreement for the Singhawala Toll Plaza was signed on September 25, 2006, during the previous Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh and a toll was imposed for 16.5 years.

He said, “The first overlay of the road, which was to be done by the company, was delayed by 158 days and a fine of Rs 2.48 crore was imposed on the firm. However, the said fine was never recovered from the company by the government.”