Kerala High Court
Kochi : A PIL has been filed in the high court challenging toll collection at Nattika in Thrissur on NH 66, alleging that statutory requirements relating to highway infrastructure and safety have not been met. Toll collection began on Oct 8 despite incomplete service roads and deficiencies in other essential infrastructure, including flyovers, other structures and safety facilities, according to the petitioner. The proposed toll rates range from Rs 120 for a car for a single journey to Rs 775 for vehicles with seven or more axles. The petition stated that the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), in a public notice, proposed to levy toll on a total length of 53.9km, described as a completed six-lane highway. This comprises 32.7km of straight road, 19.7km of bypass, reckoned as 29.6km, and 1.5km of structures, reckoned as 14.7km.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news. The petition was filed by resident Anil Pillikkal. However, the petitioner alleged that the actual condition of the highway and its associated infrastructure along the stretch did not match the description of a completed and fully serviceable six-lane highway. Substantial portions of the service roads remain incomplete, while several completed stretches are unfit for normal vehicular use, the petition stated. It further alleged that signboards and warning signs indicating diversions, merging lanes, ongoing construction, incomplete works and changes in traffic movement were either absent or inadequate at several locations. Download the TOI App.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar will consider the matter on Wednesday. Toll collection at Nattika, which had been suspended following protests by various sections, resumed on Monday after an all-party meeting failed to reach a consensus on the issue.