Congress to Protest Over Pune-Bangalore Highway Toll Amidst Poor Road Conditions on Aug 3

The Congress will launch a significant agitation in Western Maharashtra concerning the ongoing work to widen the Pune-Bangalore National Highway to six lanes. The highway is currently full of potholes, making the journey time-consuming. Despite the poor road conditions and incomplete work, tolls are being collected from vehicles.

To protest against this, the Congress has called for a public movement to waive the toll until the road work is completed. The protest is scheduled for Saturday, August 3, and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, along with other prominent Congress leaders from Western Maharashtra, will stand at toll booths in their respective constituencies to lead the mass protest.

Protest at toll naka areas

According to a press release issued by Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday afternoon, the Congress plans to protest at the toll naka areas. Vehicles will be allowed to pass without paying tolls as the toll booths will be closed. The protest will begin at 10am on Saturday, August 3, 2024, and will target potholes and poor conditions on the Pune-Bangalore National Highway. The protest locations include Kini, Taswade near Karad, Kolhapur in Maharashtra, Anewadi in Satara, and Khed Shivapur in Pune district.

Key Congress leaders, including Satej Patil, former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, MLA Vishwajit Kadam, Congress leader Sangram Thopte, and Sanjay Jagtap, will participate. At the Kini toll road in Kolhapur, MLA Satej Patil will lead the protest with Congress workers from Kolhapur district. Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Vishwajit Kadam, and Uday Singh Patil will lead the protest at Taswade toll road in Satara district. At the Anewadi toll booth near Satara, District Congress President Dr Suresh Jadhav, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress General Secretary Ranjit Deshmukh, and Rajendra Shelar will join Congress workers from various talukas in Satara district. Congress leader Sangram Thopte and Sangram Jagtap will lead the protest with a large number of activists from Pune rural district.