Mangaluru: A consultative meeting was held to demand the removal of the Brahmarakootlu tollgate, leading to the formation of the Brahmarakootlu Tollgate Action Committee. A mass protest was planned for March 3 to demand the removal of the Brahmarakootlu tollgate on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway-75, the action committee stated.The successful protest that led to the closure of a tollgate in Kumbala inspired people in Dakshina Kannada to fight against the Brahmarakootlu tollgate, which violates the distance norm.
Action committee members said that as preparations to open new tollgates in Dakshina Kannada intensified, like-minded organisations and activists opposing tollgates in Bantwal held a consultative meeting to discuss the fight for the removal of the Brahmarakootlu tollgate. The meeting, chaired by former minister B Ramanath Rai, saw the participation of representatives from various like-minded organisations and parties.Muneer Katipalla, the coordinator of the Action Committee Against Surathkal Tollgate, provided guidance on the next steps in the fight against the tollgate in Brahmarakootlu. The meeting resolved to continue the relentless struggle until the tollgate is removed.B Ramanath Rai was unanimously chosen as the honorary president of the protest committee, with B Shekhar and Mohan Shetty as coordinators. It was also decided to hold a gathering involving all like-minded individuals to form a full-fledged committee in the coming days.The committee, with the participation of like-minded organisations, decided to hold a large mass protest near the Brahmarakootlu tollgate from 9 am on March 3. The meeting declared that more intense protests will be organised in the next phase, with the aim of removing the tollgate.
