KOCHI: As the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation of Kerala has turned down the city corporation’s request to stop toll collection at Ponnurunni rail overbridge, PWD Minister V.K. Ebrahim Kunju will convene a meeting on Tuesday to resolve the issue.
Despite strong protests from political parties and local residents, the RBDCK is still continuing toll collection.
After the recent talks between the city corporation and the RBDCK failed, Mr Benny Behanan MLA had sought the intervention of the PWD minister. The bridge is owned by the PWD.
At the meeting of RBDCK officials held on Friday, Mayor Tony Chammany had asked them to stop toll collection until the Metro works were over. But they turned down the request and said that toll collection would be stopped only after getting a government order against it.
The bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 17.27 crore and the civic body had allocated Rs 4.08 crore for acquiring 30 cents of land out of the 164 cents needed for the project.
According to the RBDCK, since a bank loan was taken for the bridge construction, toll collection is necessary for its repayment.
