Srinagar, May 09 (KNS): After resentment among the people over imposition of toll tax on Srinagar-Jammu highway, Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Satya Pal Malik, Thursday said that there will be no toll tax on locals.

Talking to reporters here after inaugurating the TRC grade separator here, Governor Malik, as per Kashmir News Service (KNS) said that the toll tax issue has already been taken up with the central government but in view of the elections they couldn’t interact with Union minister Nitin Gadkari.

“The election had caused paucity in the process. We have taken up the issue with the central government but due to the ongoing election process things have slowed up a bit,” he said.

He added that the locals here will be exempted from the tool tax, saying that there won’t be any toll tax on locals.

The toll plaza the toll plaza has been made operational from Tuesday by the National Highway Authority of India (NHIA) in Sangam area of South Kashmir with divisional administration stating that the locals will have to pay the fee while crossing through it.

Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Baseer Ahmad Khan had said that government has decided that people living within 20 km on both sides of newly-established toll plaza on Srinagar-Jammu highway at Chursoo in Sangam will not have to pay the travel fee saying they will be issued free travel passes for free movement.

Following the order, the traders and transporters here staged a protest against the move terming it as ‘anti-people’ move, urging government to look into the matter and exempt them from the toll tax. (KNS)