Kerala High Court halts toll collection at Paliyekkara for four weeks over NH traffic chaos

In a major relief to motorists, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday (August 6, 2025) ordered a four-week halt on toll collection at the Paliyekkara toll plaza, slamming the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for failing to resolve the persistent traffic snarls along the Mannuthy-Edappally stretch of the national Highway.

The Division Bench comprising Justice Mohammed Mustaque and Justice Harisankar B. Menon delivered the order while considering a batch of petitions challenging the toll collection, including a plea filed by lawyer-cum-Congress leader Shaji J. Kodankandath and a public Interest litigation by Youth Congress leader O.J. Janesh. The petitions sought suspension of toll collection on account of the poor condition of the road and recurring traffic gridlock.

The court observed that it was “unjust” to continue collecting toll from the public while the highway remains in a dilapidated state, placing the burden of negligence squarely on citizens.

‘People paying a price’

“People are paying a price for a road that doesn’t serve its basic function,” the Bench noted, highlighting the deteriorated state of both the main highway and the service road.

The court had earlier warned the NHAI that failure to address the congestion issues within a week could lead to suspension of toll collection. Despite that, the authority recently sought an additional three months to complete the necessary remedial work. The court, concerned with the delay, has now issued an order by pausing toll collection for four weeks.

This is not the first time the High Court has pulled up the NHAI over this issue. During an earlier hearing, the court had summoned NHAI officials to explain the failure to decongest the Mannuthy-Edappally corridor, an arterial stretch in central Kerala.

In its latest statement, the NHAI claimed that it had provided a service road to ease congestion. However, it admitted that the service road was in poor shape.