Senior Congress leader and the party candidate from Shri Anandupur Sahib parliamentary constituency, Manish Tewari today said that there was an urgent need to rationalise the setting up of toll plazas on the national and the state highways. Addressing a series of public meetings and responding to the public demand, Tewari said, he had noticed during the last two weeks that the entire Anandpur Sahab parliamentary constituency was over-flooded with toll plazas. “Whether one has to move from Shri Anandpur Sahab to Chandigarh or from Jalandhar to Chandigarh, there is a toll plaza after every 30-40 kilometres sometimes after a lesser distance”, he said, while adding, this was absolutely unfair and unjustified as not only does it lead to fleecing public but also loss of precious time on these toll barriers. He said, he will raise the matter with the state and the central governments to get the system of toll collection rationalised. “Charging reasonable amount is fine, but you have no right to fleece people and extort money from them in the name of development”, he remarked, while wondering why and how the sitting MP had allowed such loot on the roads for all these years. He pointed out all these toll plazas had come up during the ten years of Akali-BJP regime in the state.
Speaking on other issues, Tewari said, the national security was and should be the top most concern and priority of all the governments and the Congress party has a record of zero tolerance to terrorism or threat to the national security. At the same time, he added, other issues cannot and must not be ignored and overlooked. “While the countrymen are ready for any sacrifice for the unity and integrity of the country, at the same time they need jobs, they need food, they need better living and these needs cannot be ignored”, he asserted. The Congress leader said, it was under the Prime Ministership of Ms Indira Gandhi that India defeated Pakistan and created Bangladesh. And, he added, again it was under the Prime Ministership of Dr Manmohan Singh that the Indo-US Nuclear Deal was signed, which was a giant leap towards ensuring long term nuclear security of the country. “Congress neither needs any lessons on national security, nor does it need to prove it to anyone as entire country is already aware about it”, he asserted. Tewari was accompanied by the local MLA Angad Singh Saini and other senior leaders of the party.