Padubidri: A symbolic protest was held at Hejamadi Tollgate on National Highway 66 on Thursday, demanding the exemption in toll for local vehicles, and the immediate completion of the National Highway 66 works.

“Complete the national highway work or stop the toll collection. Toll collection should be permanently stopped for local vehicles. Construct the highway as per the original map of 2010. While setting up four tollgates within 90 kilometers is against the National Highway Law, Surathkal tollgate must be removed immediately,” the committee urged.

“National highway curves are unscientific, and no warning sign boards are installed in the accident-prone zones, road dividers are inadequate,” the committee added.

The protesters then submitted a memorandum to Kapu Tahsildar Guru Siddayya Hiremath.

Horata Samithi president Deviprasad Shetty, MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, district panchayat member Shashikanta Padubidri, taluk panchayat member Dinesh Palimaru, various gram panchayat presidents Vishalakshi Putran, Damayanti Amin,JDS district President Yogish Shetty, Vasudeva Rao, Rakshana Vedike District President Ansar Ahmed, Kapu constituency president Sudhakar Shetty, Kapu block Congress president Navinchandra J. Shetty, BJP Kapu constituency President Prakash Shetty, tempo drivers and Malakar Sangha president Harish Shetty, Uday Shetty Anna, Abbas Haji, Ismail Phalimaru, Ashraf, Ismail Hejamadi and others were present.



Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has strongly criticised the Centre over the women's reservation and accused it of trying to use it as a "weapon" to tackle the opposition before taking up the delimitation exercise based on population.

"The Union government is not concerned about implementing reservations for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done it right away. Rather than doing that, the BJP-led Centre is thinking of using it as a weapon to tackle opposition and take up the delimitation exercise based on population," he told PTI in an interview.

"Hence, the women's reservation must be implemented immediately without showing delimitation as a reason," the DMK president added.

Expressing apprehensions on the proposed delimitation exercise, the CM said it was the DMK that raised the first voice asserting the rights of the state after realising that Tamil Nadu would be affected by the proposed exercise. He also attacked his rival and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami over the delimitation issue.

Recalling efforts made by the DMK to raise the issue of population-based delimitation, he said an all-party meeting and a meeting of CMs under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee seeking fair delimitation were convened. It sought to freeze delimitation for 25 years and stick to it based on the 1971 Census population.

"We urged the union government that states which successfully implemented population control programmes must not be punished," he added. 

The party came up with "Tamil Nadu poradum, Tamil Nadu vellum" (Tamil Nadu will struggle, Tamil Nadu will win) and this is DMK's stand, he said.

"However, Palaniswami, who is seeking votes for the entry of the BJP through the backdoor, has till date been mute over delimitation, and this is a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu."