Arikkady toll plaza on NH-66 at Kumbale withdrawn following public protest

Arikkady toll plaza on NH-66 at Kumbale withdrawn following public protest

Mangalore Today News Network

Kumbale, Feb 4, 2026: The Arikkady toll plaza on National Highway-66 at Kumbale, which had faced strong public opposition, has been withdrawn. Members of the Toll Abolition Action Committee and BJP leaders held separate victory celebrations in Kumbale on Tuesday evening.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to withdraw the toll plaza and has signed a written order to this effect. An official notification is expected to be issued on February 4. BJP Kasaragod district president M.L. Ashwini said that Minister Gadkari conveyed the decision over the phone to the BJP Kerala state president.

With the withdrawal of the Arikkady toll now officially confirmed, the development is being hailed as a historic victory for the people. The agitation launched by local residents against the toll plaza has yielded results within a short span.

Although the BJP district unit did not directly participate in the protest, it consistently exerted pressure by submitting representations to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and the NHAI chairman, demanding the removal of the Arikkady toll. BJP district president Ashwini released documents related to these efforts on Tuesday evening.

Indefinite sit-in after toll collection resumed

After toll collection was postponed once, it was resumed on January 12, 2016. Following this, an indefinite sit-in protest was launched near the toll plaza under the banner of an all-party Toll Abolition Action Committee, led by local MLA A.K.M. Ashraf.

The committee argued that another toll plaza should not be permitted within 22 km of the Kerala–Karnataka border and maintained that toll collection should not begin before a court verdict. During the round-the-clock protest, tensions escalated, and a group of youths who had gathered to express solidarity allegedly damaged CCTV cameras, gates and other property at the toll plaza.

As the matter was pending before the High Court, the committee reiterated that toll collection should not continue without a final decision. During the hearing on January 28, the NHAI’s counsel was absent, and the case was adjourned to February 4.

It may be recalled that the toll plaza on the Surathkal stretch of National Highway in Dakshina Kannada was withdrawn after 10 years following sustained public protests.

Separate victory celebrations

Following the decision to withdraw the Arikkady toll plaza, separate victory celebrations were organised on Tuesday by the Toll Abolition Action Committee and the BJP.

Leaders including Ashraf Karle, C.A. Zubair, Lakshmana Prabhu, A.K. Arif and Asif Kalathur led the celebration organised by the action committee. The BJP-led celebration was attended by Kasaragod district BJP president M.L. Ashwini, BJP Koyikkode zone vice-president Vijay Kumar Rai, district vice-president Muralidhara Yadav and others.