Four Toll Plazas Make Chittoor District’s Venkatagirikota a Costly Crossroad
Located near the Karnataka border, the town is caught between four toll plazas, forcing locals to pay toll charges even for routine travel
TIRUPATI: Venkatagirikota (V. Kota) town in Chittoor district is surrounded by national highways. However, the convenience of connectivity has come with daily expenses for this small town’s residents.
Located near the Karnataka border, the town is caught between four toll plazas, forcing locals to pay toll charges even for routine travel. Toll gates are in almost every direction. Residents say they think twice before taking out their vehicles.
According to people of V. Kota, they have a toll pass only for the Danamaiahgaripalle toll plaza on the Palamaner-Krishnagiri highway. Those managing the three other toll plazas, reportedly refuse to issue passes because they treat V. Kota residents as non-locals. As a result, even a short trip outside the mandal requires full toll payment.
“We need FASTag to even fill petrol. A simple visit to a nearby town feels like we are travelling across states,” said R. Suresh, a small business owner in V. Kota.
Locals complain that applying for toll passes is impractical. They have to apply for passes at the four different plazas. Two of these plazas fall under the jurisdiction of Karnataka, adding to additional verifications.
“We are not going on long drives. We just want to visit nearby relatives, markets or hospitals. Why should we pay highway rates for local travel,” asked homemaker Lakshmi Devi.
Danamaiahgaripalle, the nearest toll plaza to V. Kota on National Highway 42, is barely 5–6 km away. It charges ?75 per car. The Mulbagal toll plaza on the Bengaluru-Chennai highway is about 18–19 km from V. Kota and collects ?90 per car. Another toll plaza near Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu) on the National Highway 75, about 13–14 km from V. Kota, has a lower fee. The expressway toll point at Sundarapalya, roughly 15–16 km away, charges the highest fee of ?185 for cars.
V. Kota motorists say having been surrounded by four different national-highway toll points within a 20-km radius, they have to pay high fees even for short regional travel. They point out that for return journeys within 24 hours, which often costs half the toll, the Sundarapalya plaza is charging full fare.
In this regard, V. Kota people are requesting highway authorities to review the toll policy and provide relief to the town’s residents.
