Residents of Tirumangalam Municipality, the Traders Association, and motorists have decided to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections over Kappalur Toll Plaza. According to the commuters, the Toll Plaza has been set up in violation of regulations. They alleged that the toll plaza is built in a place violating rules. This issue had been raised previously as well. Protesters demanded permanent exemption from tolls for local vehicles.
A senior resident of Tirumangalam said the people of the town have been conducting protests for the past 14 years to demand the removal of the toll plaza. "We met various political leaders and demanded the removal of the toll plaza, but no action was taken. So we have decided to boycott the election this time," said Jayaram, a local.
Another local from the town expressed anger, saying the toll booth is set up in violation of regulations. He said there were many industries near Kappalur, but due to tolls, industries have been moved to other districts. "For 14 years, the employees of the Kappalur factory and the public have been demanding the removal of this toll booth," he said.
In August last year, Congress MP B. Manickam Tagore wrote to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, seeking his attention to order the closure of the toll collection plaza at Kappalur. In a letter, he said it was illegal to have the toll plaza at Kappalur since as per the laws, the distance between two toll plazas should be 60 km.