THOOTHUKUDI: Even two weeks after the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court ordered the Vagaikulam toll plaza authorities to collect only 50% of the actual fee, the staff has not yet stopped collecting the full fee. The 48-km long Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli National Highway was widened into a four-way lane and subsequently, a toll plaza was commissioned in 2012.
However, poor maintenance of the road and recurring damages on the Vallanadu bridge over Thamirabarani, constantly plagued the commuters. Both lanes of the bridge have been damaged at least four times since 2017. One lane of the bridge on the Thoothukudi-Tirunelveli section still remains closed for vehicles, and the traffic is diverted to the other lane. The bridge has been under repair for the past five years.
According to an RTI reply obtained by advocate Chidambaram, the Vagaikulam toll plaza collects an average of Rs 5 lakh through FastTag and around Rs 25,000 as cash from the commuters daily. When Chidambaram took the matter to court, Division Bench judges SS Sundar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy, in an order dated September 11, observed that the transportation on a single lane had been inconveniencing the public, but still, huge amounts of cash were being collected as toll at Vagaikulam toll plaza. The court can not just permit a private individual to make money without fulfilling the legal obligations, the order said.
The court sought a report on Vallanadu Bridge's structural stability and the safety of the public while using both lanes of the bridge. Recalling an order dated November 29, 2021, which ordered a reduction of toll fees if the repair work is delayed beyond 90 days, the judges wondered if the toll plaza is continuing to collect full fees even after two years of disrepair.
Considering the lethargy on the part of the toll plaza authorities seriously, the judges directed them to collect only 50% of the regular toll fees until further orders, and also warned of issuing orders not to collect any toll fee if the NHAI does not submit about the structural stability of the bridge, said the order dated September 11.
However, the Vagaikulam toll authorities have been collecting full fees from the commuters claiming that they haven't received the order yet. Sources said the NHAI had approached the High Court last Friday (September 22) with an affidavit to reverse the order dated September 11. The case has been posted to September 26.
Chidambaram told TNIE that he would prefer a complaint against the toll plaza authorities for cheating and fleecing motorists, with the Madurai Bench so that contempt proceedings will be initiated against them. Advocate Ramasubramanian told TNIE that the toll authorities must be penalised and punished for disobeying court orders and cheating road users.
According to an RTI reply obtained by activist Sugan Christopher, the dangerous road stretch on Vallanadu bridge witnessed 28 accidents between November 2017, and August 2023, leaving 11 dead and 41 injured. At least nine of the accidents took place during the night hours. "Vagaikulam toll gate authorities and NHAI must provide adequate compensation for the families of the deceased," demanded Christopher.