K Ramanathan Iyar/Chennai
It’s a great irony that to cross a distance of about 350 kilometers from Chennai to Bangalore by road, the drivers have to cough up a toll tax, not once or twice, but at five different places.
The sudden increase of travel cost has resulted in a steep rise (almost double) of ticket prices in buses and charted vehicles plying between these two southern cities.
There is no dispute that National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has been doing a commendable job of maintaining the road. To realize the construction and maintenance expenses, the NHAI is charging from the road users.
But five toll centers for such a short distance is too much, feel many commuters from Inter-state bus terminus in Chennai and Bangalore.
As the public outcry to this issue is conspicuously absent, the exploitation by the central authority continues. The common man is now left with no option but to pay the hefty charge of Rs 200 to visit either of the two cities. However, the train fare to Chennai or Bangalore stands less than Rs 100.
Earlier travellers used to prefer roadways over train due to convenient timing of buses and less ticket fare. However, due the sudden hike of ticket prices by both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu state buses, many of them now turn to trains; by somehow placing themselves in the crowded ‘unreserved’ compartments.
The worst hit are the weekend travellers, as majority of them working in one city, want to visit the other side to be with their family.
On the contrary, the NHAI, which maintains the 250-km-long national highway between Delhi and Chandigarh, charges a toll tax only once. But here too, the construction of five-lane roads would ultimately end up commuters paying more tax in the coming days.
Again who cares? In the absence of opposition from public, press and like-minded agencies, the toll bridges across Chennai-Bangalore continue to take heavy toll on the hapless commuters’ pockets.
Is any one listening?
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