Ally Anupriya sends another letter to UP govt, flags ‘illegal’ toll collections

After raising the issue of OBC quota in state services in a letter recently, Union Minister and BJP ally Apna Dal (Soneylal) chief Anupriya Patel on Wednesday again wrote to the UP government, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleging “irregularities” and “illegal” collection of money at a toll plaza on Mirzapur Road. Patel is the Member of Parliament (MP) from Mirzapur.

Responding to her letter, UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, dismissed Patel’s allegation, calling it “baseless. There is “no unauthorised toll collection occurring in relation to the matter in question,” Nandi said in his response.

In his letter, Nandi said that toll plazas were previously established at three locations along the Varanasi-Shaktinagar Marg: Fattepur (4.680 km), Lodhi (68.100 km), and Maloghat (108.940 km), “all in accordance with the prescribed standards.”

Following a complaint from a private developer, it was pointed out that vehicles going to Shaktinagar from the Fattepur toll plaza were using the Varanasi-Shaktinagar route before Ahraura, passing through Chunar and Narayanpur-Jamui. Similarly, vehicles coming from Shaktinagar to Varanasi are diverting via Chakia after passing Ahraura (chainage 18.700 km), resulting in a loss of revenue, Nandi said.

To address the revenue leakage, conditional approval was granted to establish an additional toll booth at Ahraura. The condition stipulates that toll fees must be collected from vehicles at either the Fattepur or Ahraura toll plaza, the minister pointed out in his response.

The minister also clarified that toll is collected at Ahraura only from vehicles that do not pay at Fattepur and choose to use the Varanasi-Shaktinagar route – underlining that toll is