Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan has strongly opposed the LDF government’s reported decision to collect tolls on roads funded by KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board).
Representation image (Photo: IANS)
Senior Congress leader K Muraleedharan has strongly opposed the LDF
government’s reported decision to collect tolls on roads funded by
KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board).
Muraleedharan said here on Saturday that if toll booths are set up
on KIIFB roads, they would be demolished. He warned that while the
protests so far have been “vegetarian”, the upcoming ones would be
more intense, referring to them as “non-vegetarian”.
Advertisement
Earlier, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President K
Sudhakaran also condemned the move to collect tolls on roads funded by
KIIFB, asserting that Congress will take to the streets of Kerala with
strong protests if the government goes ahead with what he called
exploitative toll collection on KIIFB-funded roads.
Advertisement
The Opposition leader has warned of protests against toll collection.
“There will be strong protests by the people. Government’s splurge,
corruption and backdoor appointments are to be blamed for its
financial crisis. The KIIFB’s liabilities worsened the issue. The
government wants to transfer the liabilities to people,” he said.
Satheesan said toll collection cannot be accepted because KIIFB is
funded by the state’s consolidated fund. “It is sheer cheating to
collect toll on roads and bridges constructed by the KIIFB using
taxpayer’s money,” he said. He stated that the Opposition, many times
in the past, had warned that KIIFB will become a liability for the
state.
The Kerala government reportedly decided to introduce toll collection
on state highways managed by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund
Board (KIIFB).However, unlike the traditional toll gates seen on
national highways, the new system will rely on specialised cameras and
an online payment system.
Advertisement
