The ruling party in Andhra Pradesh took yet another decision that is not much to the liking of some sections of the AP people. We all know how rattled the AP state economy is and Jagan is doing everything he can to uplift the revenue and in that order he is imposing more burden on the public.
The government has recently taken a decision for the development of roads. These fees will come into effect after the issuance of the Gazette Notification while issuing orders on the previous terms. In that order, the government has directed tolls of Rs 90 paise per kilometer for cars and jeeps, Rs 80 paise for minibuses, 3Rs 55 paise for lorries and 8Rs 90 paise for heavy vehicles.
Motorists in the covered villages within 5km from the Toll Plaza will be exempted from toll fees. There is no toll fee for tractors used for agriculture, two-wheelers and autos. Yet this is a small exemption considering that a toll-plaza is going to be placed at 10km from every municipality.
The government said the toll fee collected from commuters would go to the State Roads Development Authority to be used for the maintenance of state highways. In the first phase, there will be 35 state highways including Kadapa-Pulivendula, Eluru-Jangareddygudem and Bhimavaram-Gudivada. Information that toll fees will be levied on the remaining 24 routes if the experiment is successful.
So, it is quite clear that the addition of the extra toll plazas at places is definitely a burden for middle-class people who are on trips for business or personal purposes. Many people in the AP are expressing their views on the collection of state road fees, saying that at a time when Andhra Pradesh is facing a severe financial crisis, the government is looking for every opportunity to raise revenue to drive it forward.