Toll collection had been suspended within hours of its introduction on Thursday following protests against the decision to charge motorists before completion of construction work
PWD minister PK Basheer subsequently announced the suspension in a video message after sports minister O J Janeesh brought the issue to his attention.
In his video message, the PWD minister had said he directed the district collector to inspect the site along with officials concerned, convene an all-party meeting and submit a report within a week. The office of minister Janeesh also did not respond, as he was in New Delhi.
An earlier official statement quoting Janeesh had also acknowledged that work on certain service roads and bridges along the stretch was incomplete. However, reports suggest that no formal order suspending toll collection was issued, raising questions about the circumstances under which the toll company resumed collection on Saturday.
NHAI officials had conveyed to govt that some works cited by protesters as incomplete were not included in the original construction agreement, according to informed sources. CPM district secretary K V Abdul Khader and CPI functionaries V S Sunilkumar and Geetha Gopi MLA led the LDF protests. DCC president Joseph Tajet, AICC secretary T N Prathapan, KPCC general secretary Jose Vallur and Muslim League functionary C A Rasheed led the UDF agitation. Police forcibly removed protesters blocking access to the toll plaza to facilitate toll collection. However, it remains unclear whether any formal direction was issued to the collector.
There was also no indication that an inspection or all-party meeting had taken place before toll collection resumed on Saturday.