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Incident that took place last Saturday on Tumkur road highlights the growing resentment against long queues

Cricketer-turned-commentator-cum-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu’s altercation with toll booth personnel in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday has once again brought to the fore the simmering discontentment among motorists. Sidhu made it to the front pages, but another road rage incident closer home did not. Car owners destroyed a toll gate on the Tumkur road saying they were tired of waiting in the queue.

The elevated expressway on Tumkur Road offers a faster option out of Bangalore, but has earned the wrath of travellers for prolonged delays at the toll booths, especially at night. Last Saturday, some travellers were so angered by the delay at the toll booth near Arishinakunte village around midnight that they got into a verbal altercation with the staff before breaking the toll gate and zipping past.
 
According to Rajesh T M, a frequent user of this road, the quueu at the toll plaza near Nelamangala often stretches over half-a-kilometre, especially at night. “Last Saturday, the waiting period was more than half-an-hour. Many decided to use the adjoining toll-free road till the next toll booth at Arishinakunte. Unfortunately, there was a long queue even at that toll booth. Adding to their woes, out of the two toll booths, one was closed,” he said. When staff refused to open another booth, angry commuters broke the toll gate.
 
To avoid such incidents, the NHAI has asked toll operators to recruit more staff and increase the number of toll booths.
 
Narayana Murthy, a techie who had witnessed the altercation at Arishinakunte, said, “If adequate care is not taken, such problems may recur on the busy Bengaluru International Airport road too.”
 
 
SIDHU TAKES GUARD
On Tuesday, the BJP MP was going to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh when his car was stopped at the toll gate in Thallampadu, about 430 km from Hyderabad. The driver proceeded without paying the toll fee of Rs 85 after revealing the identity of the passenger. However, as the car sped away, security guard Chenchu Ramaiah threw a stick at the vehicle, resulting in some damage. On the BJP MP’s instructions, his security guards picked up Ramaiah and bundled him into the car. He was handed over to the police in Nellore.