Public Rejoicing Over The Closure Of Navalur Toll Plaza, A Move Led To The Saving Of Rs.2000

CM Stalin's order to suspend the toll collection in Navalur toll plaza is welcomed by the residents of the area among others. CM Stalin announced the closure of Navalur Toll Plaza on the old Mahabalipuram road after a field meeting with the District Collectors of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Chengalpattu.

The closure of the Navalur toll booth was decided taking into consideration the long standing demand of the public owing to the inability of usage of regular roads due to the 2nd phase metro rail construction.

A youngster working in the area said, "In order to use the road once, I had to pay Rs.45. Considering the number of times I use the road in a day on account of my work, I am saving approximately Rs.120 per day after the closure of the booth."

A resident of the area said, "While passing the toll booth daily, I have seen the long queues of vehicles, waiting to pay the toll, turn into heavy traffic. I am happy that CM Stalin has taken a step accepting the request of the public, there will be no traffic anymore owing to the toll cancellation."

S.S. Balaji, MLA of Tamil Nadu said, "Navalur toll booth is functioning under the Thiruporur constituency, where the width of the road has been reduced to 40% due to the 2nd phase metro rail construction. The road shrink resulted in heavy traffic congestion hindering the day-to-day activities of the public.

Realising the difficulty for the public, I made the request of cancelling the Navalur toll collection in the Assembly session to CM Stalin, accepting which he ordered the cancellation of toll. I express my sincere gratitude to the CM for taking the step in the best interest of the people of our region."

Another person said, "Since the Navalur toll collection booth is within the city limit, the public demanded the complete removal of the booth. Realising the constraint for the public CM Stalin ordered the cancellation of the toll collection which is a commendable act. One way usage of the road required a payment of Rs.33. On an average, I use the road around 20 times per month which costs me a lot."

A person from West Bengal, working in Tamil Nadu said, "I thank CM Stalin for the cancellation of the toll which is a great effort on the government's side. The long queue of vehicles in the toll lane delays the office reaching time of the public in the morning. In the evening, people again reach their homes late due to the heavy traffic in the area. Now, the public can reach their offices on time and reach their homes early to spend quality time with the family."

Most of the drivers' concern passing the area is the traffic congestion and the long waiting time at the toll booth rather than the payment of the toll fee. The metro rail construction worsened the situation in the area. CM Stalin's order is appreciated and welcomed by the drivers passing the road and also the residents of the area.

A heavy vehicle driver crossing the highway said that the toll cancellation led to the saving of approximately Rs.2000 a month. For a middle class family, Rs.2000 equals a month's grocery budget.