Hundreds of villagers assembled near the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) toll plaza near Mundka, west Delhi, on Saturday and held a Mahapanchayat, warning of an indefinite sit-in protest if the toll tax is not abolished.
Villagers and Khap leaders demanded toll tax waiver for residents of villages surrounding UER-II, arguing that they should be allowed to travel up to 10 kilometres without paying any tax, as “practiced in States like Haryana and Rajasthan”, as per a statement.
They alleged that previous governments had “forcibly acquired” farmers’ land at “meagre compensation” and now sought to burden them with a toll tax.
“We are giving the government time till September 20 to abolish the toll tax for us [villagers]. Otherwise, starting September 21, we will refuse to pay tax and begin an indefinite sit-in protest,” said Chaudhary Surendra Solanki, chief of Palam 360 Khap.
Mr. Solanki clarified that their agitation is “non-political” and focused solely on securing the rights of Delhi villagers, who have “long faced neglect”.
