Tension gripped Aganampudi Junction on Tuesday evening, 26 June 2024, as a large crowd of locals and supporters from the alliance parties (TDP-BJP-JSP) staged a protest demanding the shutdown or relocation of the toll gate. Protesters disrupted toll collection, sent toll personnel away, and allowed vehicles to pass through freely. They informed motorists that the toll gate would be completely shut down in the coming days. Police arrived on the scene, urging protesters not to disrupt traffic flow.
గడువు ముగిసినా వాహనదారుల నుంచి టోల్ వసూలు చేస్తున్న అగనంపూడి టోల్ గేట్ మూసివేయించిన టీడీపీ కార్యకర్తలు. ఉద్రిక్తత పరిస్థితుల నేపధ్యంలో పోలీసులు భారీ బందోబస్తు. #Andhrapradesh #TeluguNews #Visakhapatnam #Vizag pic.twitter.com/fueVvGnVjG
— Vizag News Man (@VizagNewsman) June 25, 2024
Chanting slogans for the toll gate’s closure, protesters claimed that locals, especially middle-class residents, were unfairly burdened by high toll fees between Anakapalli and Gajuwaka.
Despite the new NH stretch from Anakapalli to Anandapuram, the toll plaza continues to operate on the old NH-16 highway, collecting fees from motorists. This ongoing toll collection is seen as an unnecessary financial strain on the people of Visakhapatnam.
Alliance party leaders had promised to relocate the toll gate within a month of taking office. Recently, Gajuwaka MLA-elect Palla Srinivasa Rao reaffirmed this commitment during a previous protest at Aganampudi Junction, vowing to remove the toll gate within a month of his election. He assured voters that he would take decisive steps to fulfill his promise.
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