New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has lost toll revenues of Rs 814.4 crore till March 16 in three states due to farmer's agitation. This was stated by Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways, and MSME Nitin Gadkari in a written reply in the upper house of Parliament. These three states are Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Gadkari said in parliament on Monday that the damage has been mainly in the states of Punjab and Haryana. Besides, some toll plazas in Rajasthan have also been affected due to this agitation. Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan have incurred losses of Rs 487 crore, Rs 326 crore, and Rs 1.40 crore respectively. The Union Minister also informed that there has been no loss of toll revenue due to farmer's performance in any other state. But the government of Punjab has been requested to take note of the uninterrupted functioning of the toll plaza within the state.
This agitation for 118 days has caused a large scale loss not only to NHAI but also to local trade. A petition was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court to provide alternative accommodation for the agitation. The reason was that the agitating farmers took possession of several warehouses in Patiala, which caused huge trade losses. According to CAIT, the agitation has resulted in a loss of 50,000 crores in Delhi-NCR only.
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