Highway toll station charging rescue team causes controversy

Controversy has ensued after a private rescue team was forced to pay a highway toll fee at a toll station in Hunan province on their return from helping in areas hit by typhoon Mangkhut in Yangchun, Guangdong province, reports the cnr.cn.

A private rescue team is stalled at the Chengtoushan toll station in Hunan province, September 19, 2018. [Photo: cnr.cn]

The incident was posted online and it drew a lot of attention, with some netizens believing that it was wrong to make the rescue heroes pay the toll fee, according to the report.

The rescue team, consisted of 36 people and 8 cars, drove over 1,700 kilometers from Luoyang, Henan province, at their own costs and participated in the rescue work in Guangdong devastated by typhoon Mangkhut.

In three days, they helped hundreds of local residents who were affected by the typhoon. They received high appraises from local authorities in Yangchun, who awarded them a certificate for their great selfless contributions.

On their return trip, the certificate helped them pass freely on the highways in Guangdong, Guangxi and also some of the toll stations in Hunan, until they reached Chengtoushan.

They were stalled for 6 hours and were finally let go after each of the cars were charged 338 yuan (around 50 USD).

A member of the private rescue team takes a rest after the rescue work in Yangchun, Guangdong province. [Photo: cnr.cn]

Responding to online reports, the Dongchang Highway Construction and Development Company issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that the staff members at the Chengtoushan toll station were just doing their jobs.

Based on related law and regulations, only vehicles of the rescue teams that were approved by the State Council or the provincial government can be exempted from the passage fees, the statement added.

The company's explanation was supported by some other netizens, saying it was not wrong to follow the rules.

Despite this, the company said in the statement that the spirit of the rescue team is worth appraising and the company will offer their counseling services to the rescue team.