Kochi: A special council meet of the Maradu Municipality held on Tuesday decided to move court against "illegal" toll being levied at Kundannur from vehicles using the Kundannur-Thevara section along the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway. The anti-toll strike committee, that includes most of the council members, would launch an open protest including disruption of toll collection from July one.
"We'd file a petition against the PWD NH Wing before the High Court on Wednesday. A lawyer has been consulted. The current contractor's term for collection of toll ends on June 30 th midnight. The authorities have floated a new tender but we won't allow the illegal toll collection anymore," said K.A. Devassy, vice-chairman, Maradu Municipality.
"The toll was introduced for the Kundanoor Jn.-Thevara section in December 2000 and the mandatory period of 15 years is now over. We won't allow them to exploit us further and demand immediate stoppage of toll collection. A majority of vehicles passing through the stretch is that of the local residents," said chairperson Divya Anilkumar.
However, a senior official of the PWD NH wing said the toll collection would go on unabated. "In most of the agreements, the condition is the recovery of construction cost along with 9.5 per cent interest or 15 years whichever is earlier. However, here we have a perpetual clause that means no time-frame is included. We've so far recovered only '16 crore against the construction cost of '46 crore," the official said.
