By Admin 
Gaurav Gogoi, president of the Assam unit of the Congress, has written a letter to Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, urging him to postpone toll recovery till the highways are repaired in the state. In the Lok Sabha, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Gogoi claimed that there is increasing resentment among the people over toll recovery on highways, because the condition of highways is very bad.
Gogoi said in a letter to Gadkari, “The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) continues to collect tolls on major parts of NH-27 and NH-37, while roads suffer from deep pits, uneven surfaces and frequent waterlogging.” A copy of this letter was shared with the media on Saturday (August 23, 2025).
People demonstrated against toll plaza
Gogoi said, ‘These conditions threaten life, damage vehicles and travel delays. The theme of special concern is Sonapur-Raha (NH-27/NH-37) and Bahata Chariali (Madanpur)-Nalbari (Galia toll plaza) are toll plazas, where many accidents happen and travel time is also long.
MP from Jorhat Gogoi said that there have been demonstrations against both the current and upcoming toll plazas and people are opposing the increasing toll charges between floods, unemployment and inflation. He said, “Important truck drivers and transporters for Assam’s agricultural economy complain of huge cost, which increases the prices of essential commodities and puts more burden on domestic expenses.”
Demand for postponing toll collection until repairs are repaired
Gogoi said, “The matter has become essential in view of the recent Supreme Court verdict on the position of NH-544 in Kerala, stating that citizens cannot be forced to pay tolls to pass through drains and pits.”
Gogoi said that the order stressed that the basic basis of the toll collection is to provide safe and regulated access and the failure to ensure that weakens the validity of the toll system. He urged Gadkari to direct NHAI to postpone the toll collection on the toll plaza fixed by him till the highways are repaired.
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