Kochi: The Supreme Court rejected NHAI’s appeal against Kerala High Court’s order to suspend toll collection in Paliyekkara toll booth in Thrissur for poor condition of National Highway 544.
The Court dismissed the appeal filed by Guruvayoor Infrastructure Ltd, the concessionaire who is collecting the toll.
The court had criticised the NHAI for the condition of the road stretch, which witnessed a 12-hour long traffic block.
The court asked how the commuters can be asked to pay toll if the road is not in a motorable condition.
The Kerala High Court ordered the suspension of toll collection for four weeks on the ground that the Edapally-Mannuthy stretch was badly maintained and was facing severe traffic congestion due to the delay in the execution of works.
The Court observed that toll fees cannot be collected from the public when access to highways is hindered due to ill-maintained roads and consequent traffic congestion.
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