Srirangapatna: Melukote MLA Darshan Puttannaiah led a protest at the entrance of Brindavan Gardens at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam yesterday, opposing the steep hike in entry, parking and bridge toll fees.

The entry fee, parking charges and the entry fee of the 650-metre-long bridge leading to the KRS Reservoir have been doubled from May 1 for all categories and age groups making visits significantly more expensive for tourists.

Amidst public outrage, the toll collection was suspended from Sunday night to Monday but was abruptly resumed on Tuesday. Upon learning this, protesters including North Bank Jagadish, Farmers’ Association District President Kempu Gowda, former KRS Gram Panchayat President Nagendra, Narasimha, Manjunath, Vice-President Papanna, and others, arrived at the spot and confronted the toll collection staff.

Officials from the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited (CNNL) were notified, leading to a complete suspension of toll collection. Protesters then gathered at the Brindavan Gardens entrance, confronting Karnataka Commercial and Industrial Corporation Ltd. (KCIC) staff for arbitrarily imposing new toll rates without a formal tender agreement.

After senior CNNL officials intervened via phone, entry fee collection was halted, allowing tourists free access for nearly three hours. Later, CNNL Superintendent Engineer Raghuram arrived, listened to protesters, and explained that the tender process was delayed due to technical reasons.

For now, the CNNL and KCIC will continue collecting fees in a 75-25 ratio until further notice. He noted that the private agencies had wrongly resumed toll collection despite instructions to the contrary and directed that only the old entry and parking fees be charged.

Protesters highlighted ongoing issues at Brindavan Gardens, including drinking water shortage, poor sanitation and non-functional CCTV cameras, which inconvenience tourists and threaten their safety. They argued that instead of raising fees, authorities should prioritise improving basic amenities.