KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday refused to lift its order suspending toll collection at Paliyekkara plaza on NH 544, after noting that the service road near Muringoor has collapsed, worsening traffic congestion in the area. The court adjourned the case to Thursday.
The court had suspended toll collection at the plaza for four weeks via an August 6 order, which was later affirmed by the Supreme Court. The suspension was later extended. The bench had last week said it would conditionally lift the suspension, after reviewing the report of the Interim Traffic Management Committee.
At Monday’s hearing, the court noted the collapse of the service road near Muringoor. The Thrissur district collector, who appeared online, informed the court that the collapse occurred due to deep excavation carried out for the RCC retaining wall’s foundation work. The damaged road posed a risk to vehicular movement and aggravated traffic congestion in the area.
The court directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit a report on the incident, after which it would decide on resuming toll collection at Paliyekkara.
“We had proposed to pass an order after verifying the committee’s report on Monday. It is now reported that at Muringoor, a service road, which had been tarred just a week ago, has collapsed, and the collector has confirmed this. The NHAI submits that the collapsed portion has been restored. NHAI must submit a report before the committee for verification. Post the matter on Thursday,” the court’s order said.