Munish Sood
MANDI: The controversy over toll collection at Baloh and Takoli plazas has intensified, with private bus operators joining the agitation after earlier protests by fruit and vegetable marketing yard unions, supported by Kargil War hero Brigadier Khushal Thakur.
The demand is to suspend toll collection until the highway is repaired and safe for travel in all weather conditions.
After fruit and vegetable marketing unions and Brigadier Thakur raised their voices against the toll, private bus operators have now joined the protest.
Leading the charge, bus owners Rakesh Sharma, Rajesh Sharma and Pankaj Mahajan, along with manager Dinesh Thakur, have openly demanded an immediate suspension of toll collection until the highway is fully repaired.
“We pay lakhs of rupees every year in toll fees, yet the road during the monsoon is in such a deplorable state that it feels like our money is going into collection booths rather than road maintenance,” said one of the operators. They highlighted that long traffic jams, sometimes lasting several hours, leave passengers stranded and cause heavy losses to operators in terms of fuel, time and revenue.
According to them, charging toll on a road riddled with potholes and landslides is “completely unjustified”. They have urged the authorities to carry out repairs on a war footing during the rainy season and keep toll plazas shut until the road is made safe and operational in all weather conditions.
The Kiratpur-Manali National Highway, touted as an all-weather lifeline, has been reduced to a hazard corridor this monsoon. Continuous rainfall has triggered landslides, sinking stretches, and dangerous shooting stones, particularly at Jagat Khana in Bilaspur and between Mandi and Takoli in Mandi district.
At Jagat Khana, a recently built retaining wall has collapsed, forcing traffic into a single lane as loose boulders threaten vehicles during downpours. On the Mandi-Takoli stretch, massive slides at Pandoh, Kainchi Mod, Dwada and Jhalogi have repeatedly cut off the route for hours or days. Temporary clearances offer only brief respite before fresh blockages occur.
Despite these conditions, toll collection at both plazas continues unabated. Commuters and transporters call this an affront to public safety, saying they are paying for infrastructure that is unsafe and often unusable. Bus operators complain of losses running into lakhs due to fuel wastage, delays and disrupted schedules, while traders and orchardists warn that perishable produce is rotting in stranded trucks.
The agitation gained momentum when Brigadier Thakur publicly questioned the morality and legality of toll collection under current conditions. In a letter to the central government, he urged the suspension of tolls using provisions of the Disaster Management Act until the road is fully functional. The letter described how landslides, flash floods, and prolonged blockades have turned the highway into a risky gamble for commuters.
The crisis extends beyond the road surface. Villages along the Mandi-Takoli corridor are witnessing land subsidence and structural cracks in homes, forcing families to evacuate. Residents say compensation and rehabilitation measures are yet to materialise.
Statewide, the monsoon has crippled connectivity, with hundreds of roads blocked, water schemes disrupted, and power transformers damaged. Mandi and Kullu remain among the worst affected districts, with tourism and local economies bearing the brunt of the losses.
Public pressure on the authorities is now at its peak. The protesters are demanding immediate toll suspension, permanent slope stabilisation on high-risk stretches, a clear policy to halt toll collection during hazardous conditions, and relief for affected communities.
Until those demands are met, they warn, the toll plazas at Baloh and Takoli will stand as symbols of misplaced priorities — where revenue is collected at the expense of public safety.
