This idea worked Ahmedbhai, but can’t it be made permanent?

Bharuch, 27 August 2013

It is now a proven fact that major reason of traffic jam on national highway no.8 near Bharuch is toll tax.

Every vehicle has to stop at Sardar bridge toll tax booth here, which slows down the traffic, and frequently causes the situation of traffic jam.

Recently during flood, while Golden bridge was shut down for traffic due to higher level of water in Narmada river, the only alternative option left for commuters was Sardar bridge. This caused extra burden of traffic at Sardar bridge.

Apprehanding that traffic condition may go bad to worse here, Rajya Sabha MP and Congress big-wig Ahmed Patel – who has represented Bharuch in Lok Sabha in past, and whose native village Piraman is located in Bharuch area – through his contacts managed to halt toll collection at Sardar bridge toll booth.

The idea was successful. Even with added traffic, the Sardar bridge did not witness any traffic jam.

While on Ahmed Patel’s direction, toll collection had been stopped only during closure of Golden bridge, local people now want the facility to continue on permanent bases to get freedom from frequent and hours long traffic jams.

National highway no.8 connects Ahmedabad and Mumbai. It is considered as India’s busiest high volume highway.