New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on the poor condition of roads and the continued collection of toll fees despite severe traffic snarls. The bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria observed that ‘Just two hours of rain paralyses Delhi, and this is our national capital.’ The remarks came during the hearing of a plea filed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) challenging a Kerala High Court order that had suspended toll collection for four weeks over bad road conditions.
The bench reserved its verdict on NHAI plea expressing strong disapproval of the condition of roads and the collection of toll fees despite ongoing traffic chaos. The court also raised serious concerns about the condition of roads across the country, especially the Edappally-Mannuthy stretch in Kerala, where a traffic jam reportedly lasted for 12 hours recently. Justice Chandran noted that if vehicles remain stuck for hours, the issue isn’t about reducing toll but compensating the commuters.
NHAI’s counsel, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued that the traffic jam was caused by a lorry overturning and ongoing construction of underpasses, which had been delayed due to rain. However, the bench noted that the ‘The lorry didn’t topple on its own.’ The Kerala High Court had earlier suspended toll collection at the Paliyekkara toll plaza citing unmotorable road conditions. The Supreme Court has now reserved its verdict after hearing all parties.
