Munish Sood
MANDI: In Himachal Pradesh’s prime Mandi-Kullu apple belt, frustration is boiling over as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) continues to collect toll at the Takoli toll plaza on National Highway-3 despite what residents describe as “disastrous” road conditions.
The Himachal Kisan Sabha and the Himachal Pradesh Apple Growers’ Association say the Mandi-Kullu stretch has been devastated by the monsoon. Landslides, collapsing road sections and hours-long blockades have turned the route into a dangerous path for travellers. Yet, toll booths, among the most expensive in the country, remain operational.
The toll controversy comes at the peak of Himachal Pradesh’s apple harvest when thousands of growers rely on uninterrupted road access to reach wholesale markets. This year, farmers say, their produce is rotting in homes and cold stores as trucks remain stuck or unable to reach mandis.
“For 72 hours, people were trapped inside tunnels without food or water. Roads are caving in, slides are happening everywhere and electricity and water have been out for three days in some areas. Yet the toll is still being collected,” said Mahender Singh Rana, state committee member of the Apple Growers’ Association. “If the government wants toll, it must first give us roads. Right now, we’re paying for a road that no longer exists.”
Farmers have warned that the blocked roads are not just causing financial loss, but threatening the livelihood of thousands of families in the region. The apple industry, worth hundreds of crores annually, is a mainstay of Himachal’s rural economy.
The growers have accused both state and central governments as well as the NHAI of “profiteering in a disaster zone”. Local officials, they say, have turned a blind eye to the crisis, failing to act swiftly to restore critical connectivity.
Kargil War hero joins protest call
The farmers’ outrage has now been echoed by Brigadier Khushal Thakur (retd), the decorated Kargil War hero who lives in Nangwain, near the toll plaza, and crosses it almost daily. In a public Facebook post, Brigadier Thakur wrote: “At present, the Mandi-Kullu highway is unsafe, damaged and often blocked for hours. Then why toll tax at Takoli plaza? The Centre and the NHAI should, on moral and legal grounds, suspend toll collection until normal conditions return.”
With voices from both the farming community and a national military hero now aligned, pressure is mounting on the authorities to act.
