Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: The newly inaugurated e-challan toll plaza at Shelim–Polem in Canacona was forced to suspend operations on Tuesday following a strong public agitation over alleged system failures, wrongful issuance of e-challans and severe inconvenience to motorists.
Residents of Canacona along with JanaSena activists gathered at the toll naka and confronted the private operator and officials of Goa Electronics Limited (GEL), alleging that the system was issuing hefty fines despite motorists possessing valid documents. The protest, held in the presence of police personnel and executive magistrates, led to the complete shutdown of the toll plaza, bringing immediate relief to commuters travelling on the busy NH-66 stretch.
Motorists complained that the slow scanning process—taking over 30 seconds per vehicle—resulted in long traffic queues on both sides of the highway, causing mental and physical harassment. Several commuters alleged they received e-challans of up to ₹10,500 for unknown violations even after producing valid registration, insurance and pollution certificates.
Congress leader and JanaSena supremo Janardhan Bhandari said the shutdown had ended the ordeal faced by motorists. He stated that people were being unfairly penalised and harassed due to technical flaws in the system. “With the closure of the toll plaza, motorists have finally received respite from wrongful fines and traffic chaos,” he said.
Some affected motorists said they were shuttled between the toll operator and the Transport Department at Aquem, Margao, with neither taking responsibility for correcting the errors. “The toll staff asked us to approach the Transport Department, while officials there said they were helpless and directed us back to the toll naka,” said one aggrieved motorist.
Following the protest, senior officials from various departments arrived at the site, including Canacona Mamlatdar Gajesh P. Shirodkar, Deputy Director of Transport Rajesh Naik, Assistant Director Nickson Soares, Infotech Corporation of Goa officials, and senior police officers from the Canacona and South Goa traffic units.
The agitation was led by Janardhan Bhandari along with former Shristal sarpanch Ramu Naik, senior citizen Anil Bhagat and several JanaSena activists, besides a large number of local residents.
Authorities are yet to announce corrective measures or a timeline for resuming operations at the toll plaza, even as public outrage continues over the alleged faulty rollout of the e-challan system.
