Around 500 residents gathered at the site demanding removal of the Kherki Daula toll and restore the road which they had constructed on their own.
Hundreds of residents of New Gurugram on Wednesday staged a mass protest demanding the removal of the Kherki- Dhaula toll a day after the toll authorities dismantled a newly constructed 350- metre road bypassing the toll.
The road was crucial for the thousands of residents living in the Sectors 79-113 as it could save them from recurrent toll tax every day. Around 500 residents gathered at the site demanding removal of the Kherki Daula toll and restore the road which they had constructed on their own.
They alleged that the authorities want them to pay up the toll every time they venture out from their homes. After waiting for far too long as they lost hope of any relief forthcoming from the government they decided to solve the problem on their own, by constructing a road, albeit momentarily.
As the protesters blocked the Delhi-Jaipur national highway at around 10:30 am traffic on the route remained standstill for more than one-and-a-half hour till the highway was cleared of the blockade by the intervention of the police.
Later, the police registered a case against the protesters at the Kherki Daula police station under section 147 (the penal offence of rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly with a common objective), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of his/her duty), 283 (obstruction in public way), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty), 353 (assault), 506 (criminal intimidation) , 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. They also arrested three residents during the protest.
Questioning the intentions of the government, the enraged residents claimed that more than 10, 000 families are meted out with injustice to save the interests of a private company.
On Saturday night, the residents had pooled in Rs. 2.5 lakh fund to construct the road for thousands of commuters to avoid the toll tax. However, on Tuesday morning the toll authority dug up the road to with an intent to divert the traffic to the toll plaza rendering their effort in vain.
Yashesh Yadav, president, DXP Welfare Association, said, “People are forced to pay every time they step out from their home. We took the initiative to pool in money so that the residents could have some respite from the recurrent toll tax. But the toll company came in its true colours and dug up the road nullifying all our efforts.
“We have registered our protest. We will not lie low but will take the fight to another level. In January, we had organised a hunger strike demanding shifting of the toll plaza from here. If need be, we will do it again.”
