CHENNAI: After pulling up the authorities of the NHAI for the poor maintenance of the Maduravoyal-Walajapet stretch of the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway-4, a division bench of the Madras High Court has impleaded the Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation and the Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Greater Chennai City Police as party-respondents in a suo motu taken up PIL.
When the matter came up before the bench of Justices Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice N Seshasayee on Thursday, photographs and other materials were produced before it. After perusing them, the judges noted that only patchworks are being carried out on the particular stretch of road, especially from Maduravoyal bridge to Parivakkam. It is not known when the road was relaid. Despite all this, toll fee was being collected from the road users at regular rates and even at increased rates. No responsibility has been fixed upon the concessionaire and no follow up action was taken up by the NHAI officials, the bench said.
ALSO READ: Is it a highway, people ask
The judges also made a note in a lighter vein that the equality clause enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution has been strictly adhered to by the government in the maintenance of public roads. The bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee observed that there was no difference even the roads frequented by VIPs, including the ones used by High Court judges as they are also being kept in bad shape. Thus, the government is strictly implementing the equality at least in the (poor) maintenance of the roads, the bench observed.
The bench then issued notices to the NHAI and to the State Highways department asking them to respond by December 9. Assistant Solicitor General G Karthikeyan took notice for the former and Additional Government Pleader E Manoharan took attendance for the latter.
The suo motu PIL was based on a note put up by Justice Sathyanarayanan to the Chief Justice with regard to the bad condition of the Highways and its improper maintenance. It suggested that the road might be relaid afresh in accordance with the specification of Indian Road Congress and in the meanwhile not to collect toll fee.
The bench also brought to the notice of the ASG a 2015 judgment of the Supreme Court pertaining to collection of toll fee and other related issues.