LANDI KOTAL: Angry transporters backed by the local tribesmen on Saturday dismantled iron structure of the toll plaza on main Peshawar-Torkham highway.

Eyewitnesses said that the protesters used a hydraulic excavator to dismantle the toll plaza structure which the National Highway Authority had established on the main road in Katta Kushtha locality of Jamrud some three months ago. The protesting transporters also put on fire some of items of the toll plaza after pulling it down amid slogans against the NHA and local administration.

Hundreds of transporters and local tribesmen started their march toward the toll plaza from Takiya in Sultankhel where they had established a protest camp since last Sunday. Announcements were made on loudspeakers about removal of the toll plaza prior to start of their march.

Ironically, the local administration had made no safety and security arrangements, as traffic on the main highway also remained suspended for over two hours. Most of the steel items of the toll plaza were taken away by the protesters who helped the Khasadars to clear the road to traffic.

The transporters have been opposing NHA’s collection of toll tax from heavy vehicles taking trade goods to Afghanistan via Peshawar-Torkham highway. They argued that the tribal regions had been exempted from all types of taxes by the government for five years after the region’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The NHA contractors had restarted collection of toll tax about eight days ago after suspending the same exercise for two days following its plaza’s initial inauguration some three months ago.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2019