GTA urges State to take over Rohini Road, initiates process to end toll tax

Amitava Banerjee, MP,  May 23, 2026, Darjeeling : A day after Darjeeling MP Raju Bista announced that toll collection at Rohini would be discontinued from June 1, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration initiated steps to implement the decision. The GTA has also urged that the Rohini Road, which connects the foothills near Siliguri to Kurseong, be handed over to the West Bengal Public Works Department (PWD) from the GTA for its maintenance. Addressing the issue on Thursday, GTA chief Anit Thapa said he had directed the GTA Tourism department, which oversees toll tax operations, to serve an official notice to the agency awarded the toll collection contract, informing it that toll collection would be withdrawn from June 1 as part of a government process.

Referring to recent remarks by Bista opposing the toll tax, Thapa said the MP’s statement reflected the stand of the BJP-led government at the Centre. “The GTA is an institution created under state law, and we respect the decisions of the state government. Raju Bista has spoken in the interest of the people and for a good cause,” he said.

Explaining the rationale behind the toll tax, Thapa stated that the GTA had been collecting tolls on the Rohini Road since 2011 through due government procedures. He pointed out that the GTA receives limited budgetary support from the state government and that the funds available are often insufficient for the maintenance of major roads. Consequently, toll collection continued to finance repairs and maintain road quality. He added that resurfacing work, including the laying of mastic asphalt, had been carried out on the road during his tenure.

While announcing the withdrawal of the toll tax, Thapa urged both the West Bengal government and the Darjeeling MP to consider transferring the Rohini Road to the Public Works Department (PWD) for long-term maintenance. He noted that the GTA is still awaiting around Rs 400 crore in dues from the state government and argued that the existing GTA budget may not be adequate to maintain major road infrastructure.

Citing the examples of Pankhabari Road, Glenburn Road, Shivakhola Road and Latpanchar Road, which were handed over to the PWD and subsequently witnessed improvements in quality and maintenance, Thapa said a similar arrangement for Rohini Road would benefit commuters and ensure better upkeep. He added that the GTA would soon send an official communication to the state government seeking the transfer of the road to the PWD. In another development, the Executive Director, Tourism, GTA has written to the Assistant Director of Tourism, GTA, directing the removal of encroachments from property under GTA tourism.

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post