Pantheerankavu toll plaza complaint draws attention of NHRC

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Kozhikode District Collector to look into all complaints related to the functioning of Pantheerankavu toll plaza on National Highway (NH) 66 in Kozhikode and take appropriate action within eight days.

The directive follows a public interest litigation involving misconduct by toll staff, traffic delays affecting motorists and emergency vehicles, and deficiencies in safety infrastructure at the facility.

The petition, filed by human rights activist Noushad Thekkayil, cited a list of complaints from truck drivers, tourist vehicle operators, ambulance drivers and daily commuters on the highway. According to the petitioner, motorists reported frequent delays at the toll booth, especially during peak hours, which affected the movement of trucks and passenger services.

Emergency operators were among those who expressed concern, pointing to difficulties negotiating traffic jams near the toll plaza during emergencies. Tourist vehicle operators have also reported delays during weekends and holidays when traffic flow is choked on the expressway due to slow movement at the toll plaza.

“There are drivers who don’t use QR code for toll payments. Such people may take longer to pay through other direct options. Some may have difficulty paying through UPI apps as well. Whatever the situation, the staff should be polite enough to deal with all types of drivers,” said a truck driver who recently honked at a toll staff due to some technical issues related to UPI payment. He added that employees should be properly trained in customer care before joining the toll collection team.

Several local drivers, who had earlier approached the traffic police with similar petitions, also recalled instances of rude behavior by some toll officials in hateful interactions with motorists. According to them, there was no proper supervision by the senior officials to ensure the good behavior of the employees, who were often forced to answer questions from the public about the poor maintenance of the roads even after paying tolls on some stretches.

Some of the daily commuters who use the inter-district stretch said that recurring bottlenecks at the toll collection point have affected the smooth flow of vehicles on one of the busiest stretches of NH 66 in Kozhikode city. Truck operators on the Kozhikode-Palakkad and Kozhikode-Thrissur routes have also complained that the delay in the facility has disrupted their timetables many times and unnecessarily extended the total transport time.

In response to the complaints, the NHRC sought a report on the matter and directed the Collector to initiate immediate action after consulting other stakeholders. The Commission’s intervention comes at a time of growing clashes between highway users over inadequate traffic management, safety issues and operational issues at similar toll plazas. Meanwhile, the toll operators, who declined to comment on the public complaints, said they would cooperate with the ongoing investigation and implement the necessary changes based on the collector’s instructions.

Published – 10 Jun 2026 19:25 IST