‘No road repairs, no toll collection’: Kerala High Court takes stern stand in Paliyekkara case

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has observed that toll collection cannot be permitted without repairing the road. The observation came during the hearing of the Paliyekkara toll case on Tuesday. The matter has been adjourned to Wednesday, with the High Court directing the Thrissur District Collector to appear online. Until then, toll collection at Paliyekkara in Thrissur will remain suspended.

The contract company and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had approached the court seeking permission to resume toll collection at Paliyekkara. However, the High Court examined reports submitted by the District Collector and the District Police Chief regarding the present condition of the roads.

The key focus of the court was the state of the service roads in areas where flyover construction is underway. The Collector’s report stated that the potholes on service roads had not been fully repaired. It also pointed out that the service road at Koratty could not be considered fully motorable. Similarly, the District Police Chief’s report highlighted the presence of potholes in Perambra that still posed a danger to motorists.

After going through these reports, the Division Bench directed the District Collector to appear online on Wednesday for further clarification.

The contract company and NHAI had earlier sought to reinstate toll collection, claiming that the service roads had been repaired. On August 28, the NHAI submitted before the High Court that the roads were in usable condition and therefore permission should be granted to resume toll collection. However, the High Court rejected this plea after reviewing a report by a three-member committee comprising the District Collector, District Police Chief and RTO. The committee found that the service roads had not been widened to provide a permanent solution. Following this, the request to resume toll collection was dismissed and the case adjourned to September 9.