Kochi: In the matter of Paliyekkara toll plaza on National Highway-544, the Kerala High Court refused to reinstate toll collection, keeping the interim stay imposed on the process, Bar and Bench reported.
It was last week, a Division Bench of Justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Harishankar V Menon, stated that it would pass an order to lift its own interim order on Monday. The interim order of August 6 suspended toll collection at Paliyekkara after several petitions filed against it pointed out the poor road conditions and severe traffic congestion caused by the ongoing overbridge works at multiple places in NH44.
The court said on Monday that it has decided not to pronounce the order after reports of the collapse of a service road near Muringoor. The court asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit a report on the bridge collapse.
“It is now reported that at Muringoor, a service road collapsed, which was tapped one week ago, and the Collector has confirmed the same. NHAI submits that the collapsed portion has been restored. NHAI to submit a report for the Committee to verify. Post matter on Thursday," Bar and Bench quoted the court.
Last week, after reviewing the report submitted by the Interim Traffic Management Committee on the work undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on NH-544 to address the traffic and poor road conditions, the court orally said that it would reinstate the toll collection at Paliyekkara, but under certain conditions. The court had said so on September 19.