Vizag citizens face trouble as toll gate charges double

The toll charges at the toll gate in the Port Road of Vizag have been touching the sky and the travellers along the road are venting displeasure over the ‘Increase in toll charge’ issue.

Generally, the percentage of increase in toll charge is 20% but the rates have been doubled compared to normal charges. The to and fro rate for a car used to be Rs 27 and is doubled to Rs 54. While the to and fro toll rate for a bus was Rs 95 earlier, it is now doubled to Rs 189.

The Port Road lying between Sheelanagar and Convent Junction is one of the major roads to enter into Vizag city. The distance and duration to travel in this road from Anakapalli to places like Gnanapuram, Visakhapatnam railway station, Poorna Market, KGH and Collector Office is less than that in any other roads comparatively. Since the NAD Fly-over construction is in progress, the heavy vehicles are diverted towards Port Road. There are a lot of offices situated alongside on the road and it is mandatory for some people working in the offices to pass through the toll gate.

Reports say that the main reason behind rising the toll charges is due to the increase in the lanes of the Port Road. The road is now converted to 4 lanes while it used to be 2 lane road earlier.

“I drove myself along that road a lot of times and I never found a place or a stop which delivers water, food, toilet booths for the travellers and other basic amenities. The road is not even in proper condition at some places and no shelters are provided where one can stop over if there are heavy rains”, shared a Vizagite who frequently travels through the Port Road.