Hundreds of residents from nine gram panchayats of Paonta sub division today came on roads to protest against the proposed erection of toll tax barrier at the Dakpather Bridge on Yamuna in Khodri Majri village by the Excise and Taxation department of Himachal Pradesh.
Protesters, shouting slogans against the setting up of toll barrier staged a day-long dharna at Dakpather bridge and did not allow the tax contractor to erect the barrier for collection of toll tax.
SHO, Paonta Bhisham Thakur reached the spot along with a team of police and excise officials to pacify the protesters and diffused the situation by asking the contractor not to charge the toll tax till the matter was settled amicably.
Protesters have announced to launch a bigger protest tomorrow and asked the residents of all nine panchayats to assemble at the bridge in big numbers.
The protesters continued their sit-in dharna on the bridge site till late evening and were not ready to leave.
A police team has been deployed on the bridge to avert any untoward incident.
Rangi Lal, President of Badhana panchayat said it was surprising that the excise department had earlier erected toll barrier without the consultation of the Gram panchayats of the area.
He said that for the last three years, the department was erecting the toll barrier and removing it after mass protests from residents.
"This year again the department repeated the old mistake" he said, adding the representatives of nine panchayats would submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister through district administration tomorrow.
Protesters said nearly 50 villages of nine panchayats were living in this part of Yamuna valley and as there was no market in their area, they have to come to Dakpather and Vikas Nagar in Uttrakhand on the other side of the bridge for small necessities and health related problems.
"If any barrier is erected on the Dakpather Bridge, residents of Himachal would be heavily taxed as this path was a local route for the residents of the state and rarely used by any outsider," Rangi Lal said.
