Mangaluru: The Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samithi, whose indefinite dharna demanding closure of NITK-Surathkal toll plaza on NH 66 entered the 11th day on Thursday, said that it is temporarily withdrawing the protest following positive assurances from district in-charge Minister U.T. Khader.

Mr. Khader visited the dharna venue at Surathkal Junction on Thursday evening and spent over an hour discussing issues with the participants as well as members of the samithi, according to a communiqué here from samithi president Muneer Katipalla.

The Minister promised to hold a meeting at the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Friday; arrange a meeting with officials of the National Highway Authority of India and the State government at Bengaluru within a week and also lead a delegation to New Delhi to press for the demand with the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

If all these efforts do not yield any result, Mr. Khader promised that he too would join the protest of the samithi, according to Mr. Katipalla.

Meanwhile, the former district in-charge Minister B. Ramanath Rai, who visited the dharna venue, expressed solidarity with the protesters and said that he would work towards taking the issue to its logical end, Mr. Katipalla said.

Besides Mr. Khader and Mr. Rai, the former Minister K. Abhayachandra Jain, MLC Ivan D’Souza, the former MLAs N.M. Adyanthaya, Moideen Bava, K. Vijaykumar Shetty and others were present.