Kochi: Kerala High Court on Friday asked Public Works Department to disallow the toll collection by the present contractor from July 1 on Kundannoor bridge at NH 47 the link connecting Willington Island and Kochi Bypass. Justice P.B. Suresh Kumar also ordered the PWD not to increase the toll rate pending disposal of the writ petition filed by the Toll Virudha Samara Sahaya Samithi challenging the toll collection. The court also asked the PWD to furnish details of the annual collection at the toll since 2000.
The petitioners contended that the PWD’s move to allow contactor to collect toll till the new tender is floated is illegal and arbitrary. They said the government and the PWD did not act on its petitions against the illegal increase in the toll rate. Meanwhile, the anti-toll strike committee that includes most of the council members of the Maradu Municipality on Friday disrupted the toll collection.
The protestors forcefully allowed vehicles to pass through the toll booth without paying the toll charges from 8 am to 9 am. “The toll was introduced for the Kundanoor Junction-Thevara section in December 2000 and the mandatory 15 years is now over,” said K.A. Devassy, vice-chairman, Maradu Municipality. “We won’t allow them to exploit us further.”
A senior official of the PWD NH wing had said the toll collection would go on unabated. “In most of the agreements, the condition is recovery of the construction cost along with 9.5 per cent interest or 15 years whichever is earlier,” the official said. “However, here we have perpetual clause that means no time frame is included. We’ve so far recovered only '16 crore against the construction cost of Rs 46 crore.”
