Bengaluru: Everyday there is a lot of verbal and physical abuse at toll plazas on Bengaluru and Mysuru highways. Especially due to the misbehaviour of the toll plaza staff, the drivers and owners feel annoyed.
Vehicles going from Bengaluru to Mysuru have to pay at Kanaminaki toll. Vehicles coming from Mysuru to Bengaluru have to pay at Seshagirihalli toll. There are 11 lanes in each toll, and hence many vehicles can travel there. Although some vehicles have FASTag, they are not being scanned due to the technical problem of the toll. Although the problem is with the tolls, the staff tussles with the motorists for money.
There are many examples of goon behaviour by shouting that Fastag is not being scanned so pay double the fixed fee.
Although it is known that there is a commotion due to small problems near the toll gates, neither the officials of the National Highway Authority nor the officials of the toll collection contract company are going to take trouble of solving the problem. In many cases, it is the toll staff’s fault, but they are not taking action to tell them to behave politely with the motorists.
Not even a year has passed since the toll started on the highway, and already many unpleasant incidents have happened near the toll plazas. Arguments have taken place due to lack of control in the matter of getting money and the staff’s words. There was also an incident in which a toll staff was killed when a fight broke out between the staff and motorists over the non-scanning of the FASTag and turned into a disaster. In another incident, Malavalli MLA Narendra Swamy’s car was stopped by the toll staff who spoke monotonously, regardless of whether he was a representative of the people. How they behave with common motorists is a matter of debate in the public sphere.
Many of the staff at the toll plaza do not speak Kannada. In particular, the toll contract is taken by an out-of-state company. The managers assigned to these tolls also do not know Kannada. Two days ago there was no FASTag in Madhan Jadhav’s car. But there was a number. He told the staff to record this number and make the payment. But he was not in a position to listen. At this time, the toll manager who intervened spoke in Hindi. Enraged by this, Madhan said that you are in Karnataka, where Kannadigas are the most frequent travelers and hence learn to speak Kannada first.