Transporters seek removal of toll plaza at KKH

MANSEHRA: The transporters in the Hazara division have asked the district administration to remove the toll tax plaza established at Khatain-Da-Galla on the Karakoram Highway.

“The district administration should remove the toll plaza as the National Highways Authority (NHA) has failed to build overhead bridges and underpasses in the city and its suburbs,” Jan Alam, the president of Hazara Transporters Association, told a press conference here on Monday.

Flanked by other office-bearers of the association, he said that the NHA had started collecting toll tax at Khatain-Da-Galla some two years ago after submitting a surety bond with the Peshawar High Court’s Abbottabad Circuit Bench but it failed to honour its commitment.

“The NHA had submitted the surety bond with the court, saying that it would widen the Karakoram Highway and build overhead bridges and underpass on it within the limits of the city but it did not honour the commitment despite the passage of two years,” Jan Alam said.

He said that the deputy commissioner recently removed the toll tax plaza established in Balakot and he should also demolish the toll plaza established on the Karakoram Highway.“We appreciate the deputy commissioner for removing the toll plaza in Balakot which had affected the tourism industry of the Kaghan valley,” he said.Pervez Khan Swati, the general secretary of the association, said that they were signatories to the surety bond submitted by the NHA with the Abbottabad circuit bench.