District authorities in Ri-Bhoi today ordered the immediate closure of a toll gate recently set up by the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) at Umdihar on National Highway 6.
The structure was sealed by the district authorities, who took action after receiving information that the toll gate had been set up along the highway without proper authorisation. Staff at the toll gate were reportedly collecting a fee of Rs 200 from each goods truck passing through the area.
The issue of KHADC-operated toll gates has been a contentious one for several years. The council has argued that it is within its mandate to protect the indigenous Khasi people to regulate the entry of vehicles into areas under its administration. However, the state government has previously opposed the setting up of KHADC toll gates on national highways and state roads. Private organisations, like those representing transporters, are against what they see as sometimes arbitrary and exhorbitant charges levelled by the toll gate staff.
Today, officials from the district administration and police visited the site and sealed the toll gate as they deemed it illegal for being constructed without obtaining necessary approvals from the government.
Speaking on the matter, Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal confirmed the closure. He stated that the toll gate was sealed today following confirmation that it had been installed without proper permission from the competent authorities, particularly as it was set up on NH-6.
He further clarified that no organisation or individual is permitted to erect toll gates or collect road taxes on national highways or state roads without prior approval from the designated government authorities.
