• Toll to be levied for 3 months by a Hyderabad-based agency on experimental basis
• 129.8 km National Highway-766 from Kollegal to Sultan Batheri to be a fully tolled Road

Mysuru: Get ready to pay if you want to travel to Nanjangud via National Highway-212 (now renamed as NH-766) from this month end as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to levy toll on the stretch from Kollegal to Sulthan Batheri in Kerala via Nanjangud. The toll charge, however, has not been decided yet. 

The NHAI has built the Highway with Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) model and had even constructed toll booths at various places. So far no toll was being levied from travellers and the toll booths were closed and were in an abandoned state. 

The Highway was constructed over three-and-a-half years back and the “Defect Liability Period” given to the contractor to rectify the broken and damaged stretches has also ended now. From October-end, toll will be levied and Nanjangud has been chosen as the first toll booth. 

Toll booth at Nanjangud

A Hyderabad-based agency has been handed over the contract of the toll collection for a period of three months. Gradually, the toll will be extended to the entire stretch of NH-766. The toll plaza for Nanjangud stretch has been built near K.N. Hundi village. 

The 129.8 km Highway begins at Kozhikode in Kerala, passes through Kollegal and covers T. Narasipur, Mysuru, Nanjangud, Gundlupet, and reaches Sultan Batheri via Wayanad in Kerala. The NHAI has spent Rs. 498 crore for the project including the land acquisition cost of Rs. 170 crore. Like in K.N. Hundi, toll plazas have been set up at Kandegala village and at Yedathore on the stretch leading to T. Narasipur. The Nanjangud stretch is four-lane with a total width of 17 metres (8.5 metres on each side) and at places, the Highway has two lanes with a total width of 10 metres. 

Toll on experimental basis

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, NHAI Assistant Executive Engineer Jagadeesh said that the toll will be collected on the Nanjangud stretch on an experimental basis from October-end. “It took such a long time as the contractor was asked to repair many places where the road was either damaged or broken at the sides. NHAI has set certain standards while constructing and maintaining the Highways,” he said. 

Minor works pending

On the toll booths lying idle since three years and broken signboards, Jagadeesh said that the booths will start functioning as only minor works are pending. “The direction boards and signboards have been repaired and restored, power connections will be given after a transformer is set up near the toll booth. We are waiting for final approval from NHAI heads,” he said. 

On the toll amount, Jagadeesh said that the toll will be collected on trial basis for three months. “We will first have to survey the vehicle density and then fix the toll amount. After Nanjangud, the toll will be extended to Gundlupet and T. Narasipur sectors,” he added.