Surathkal action committee to join protest against toll hike at Hejamadi
Mangaluru, Nov 30: The action committee against Surathkal toll gate, which is winding up its month-long agitation against toll collection on Wednesday, will join the protest against increased toll collection at the Hejamadi toll gate.
With the closure of the Surathkal toll gate by Wednesday midnight, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to collect the same toll collected at Surathkal from Hejamadi toll plaza in addition to the existing rates at the gate.
In a statement here, action committee convenor Muneer Katipalla said the people have unitedly won the battle against the Surathkal toll gate. However, the decision to collect the same toll at Hejamadi, which is located in Udupi district, is proof of the failure of the elected representatives of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, he said.
He said the committee members will join the proposed protest against the increased toll collection at Hejamadi on Friday.
Though the process of the merger of the two toll gates began 10 months back, the people's representatives were in the dark about the proposal to collect the fee at Hejamadi, he said.
Katipalla said it is the collective failure of the people's representatives from both the districts who did not protest against the NHAI's decision.
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Mangaluru: Two arrested, MDMA worth Rs 5.41 lakh seized
Mangaluru: Surathkal Police have arrested two persons and seized 54.06 grams of MDMA valued at Rs 5.41 lakh near a weighing bridge at Mukka within the Surathkal police station limits, Deccan Herald reported on Saturday.
According to DCP (Law and Order) Mithun H.N., the police acted on credible information that a resident of Kaup was arriving in the area to sell MDMA. Based on the tip-off, the PSI of Surathkal Police Station conducted a raid and found two cars parked side by side at the spot.
The arrested accused have been identified as Zakaria (38), from Kombugudde in Kaup and Mithun Poojary (23), from Santhekatte, Udupi district.
During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused had allegedly come to Surathkal to sell the MDMA to college students and the general public. Police arrested both and seized a total of 54.06 grams of MDMA from their possession,18.42 grams from Zakaria and 36.18 grams from Mithun Poojary.
Police confiscated two cars worth Rs 13 lakh, two mobile phones valued at Rs 20,000, and cash amounting to Rs 11,700. The total value of the seized property is estimated at Rs 18,72,700.
A case has been registered at the Surathkal Police Station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigation is in progress.
The DCP said that Zakaria has a criminal history, with five previous cases registered against him. These include assault cases at Bajpe Police Station in 2009 and Mulki Police Station in 2020, a case involving assault on a woman in 2022, a kidnapping case at Udupi Town Police Station in 2021, and another assault case at Padubidri Police Station in 2022.
