Bengaluru: Commuters going towards the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) are inconvenienced as toll officials are collecting levy from vehicles going towards the airport.
Earlier, the toll was collected only while returning from the airport and plying towards the city. As soon as an alternative road was thrown open to the public, motorists, especially the cab drivers, going towards the city, would avoid paying the toll by skipping the toll plaza and using the alternative road.
To avoid losses, toll officials are now collecting the amount from vehicles going towards the airport. But this has led to congestion at the toll plaza especially during peak hours when there are a number of flights taking off in short intervals. Several passengers have complained to toll officials, asking them to take measures to avoid the chaos, but in vain.
Ms Sumalatha Rao, a resident of Jayanagar, who almost missed her flight as her cab was stuck at the toll plaza, said, “The rush is insane during peak hours and the long queues to pay the toll moves slowly. I almost missed my flight and I had to force my cab driver to zip past. The airport and toll officials should make an alternative arrangement to ensure that passengers going towards the airport are not made to wait at the toll plaza to pay the fee.”
Mr Akhilesh Kumar, a government employee, said that the toll should be removed from the stretch as it is a nightmare and suggested that the road should be toll-free at least during peak hours. “It is a complete mess during peak hours, as vehicles line up to pay the toll fee at the booth and it takes a long time. There are instances of people missing their flights. The authorities should understand that people are going to the airport to catch a flight and because of the rush, they might miss their flights,” he said.
“The toll should be removed on this stretch or the authorities should think of other alternatives, so that the passengers are not put at risk. Nowhere in the country is there a toll booth on way to the airport, except in Bengaluru. The passengers are already anxious to reach the airport and this toll adds to it,” he said.
