Hundreds of people from more than 35 organisations in Noida and Greater Noida started an indefinite protest against the toll-tax on Delhi-Noida-Direct flyway on Sunday.
Led by former minister Nawab Singh Nagar under the banner of Janhit Morcha, the protesters removed the barricades at the toll plaza to allow vehicles a free-of-charge passage and continued to do so throughout the day. While commuters had a free run on the flyway without paying the toll, the protesters said they will not allow toll to be levied till their indefinite sit-in is over.
However, being a Sunday, there were no traffic snarls or inconvenience to the commuters as the protest continued on the side of the DND bridge while allowing a free flow of traffic. “It’s a rare opportunity to get a free-of-charge ride on DND. It’s high time the toll-tax was removed from here,” said a commuter on way to Delhi.
Nagar told TOI that the protest will last till a final settlement on the matter is arrived at. While a large contingent of police presence on the flyway ensured that the protest was a peaceful one, numerous attempts to reach Anwar Abbasi, spokesperson for Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NTBCL) failed as his cellphone was not reachable.
The protest, result of a month-long preparation by the morcha including a series of meetings and plannings at the residence of Nagar in Sector 33, was a peaceful one and was held in the presence of SP, crime, Vishwajeet Shrivastava, city magistrate Bachchu Singh and ADM Vineet Kumar. “We are here to ensure that no one takes law and order in their hands,” said a police officer.
The protestors also handed over a petition to ADM Vineet Kumar and addressed to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for a CAG inquiry into the toll-tax. Jordy Nelson Jersey