Motorists pass through a highway toll plaza, paying a road toll at automated booths as traffic moves through multiple lanes during peak travel hours.
Official documents accessed by TOI reveal that, during the LDF regime, an order issued by the then district collector to suspend toll collection at Paliyekkara on April 28, 2025, had to be withdrawn within 24 hours. The order was revoked on April 29, 2025. The UDF, meanwhile, has not formally announced any agitation for Friday, with its leaders reportedly uncertain about the next course of action after the high court declined to grant an interim stay on toll collection. 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.
CPM district secretary K V Abdul Khader said the LDF would continue its agitation and launch a round-the-clock sit-in near the toll booth from Friday evening. Subsequently, the high court ordered the suspension of toll collection based on a report submitted by the then district collector. The suspension remained in force until the Supreme Court intervened on an appeal filed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), paving the way for toll collection to resume. Against this backdrop, the present district collector is also proceeding cautiously, apparently wary of issuing an order that may have to be withdrawn shortly afterwards. The petition was filed in the high court by AICC secretary T N Prathapan. The court’s refusal to grant interim relief has also triggered questions within the Congress over whether approaching the judiciary was the right course of action to address the issue, when the agitations were in progress. Download the TOI App.
Thrissur : Protests against toll collection at Nattika continued on Wednesday amid uncertainty over who has the authority to order its suspension.