Kerala HC denies temporary stay on toll collection at Nattika Fee Plaza

The Kerala High Court refused to temporarily suspend toll collection at Nattika Fee Plaza on NH-66. Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice VM Syam Kumar were considering a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by PK Anilkumar, a resident of Nattika, challenging the proposed toll collection at the square. He argued that the proposed levy was based on administrative approvals even though the highway work had not yet been completed. The court reiterated its order in another PIL filed by former MP TN Prathapan challenging the same toll collection.

The Union government informed the court that work on 51 kilometers of the 60 km stretch has been completed. She said that only a pro rata amount of toll is collected in accordance with the notification of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

The union said that according to the governing rules, after the issuance of the building permit, the toll collection should be started within 45 days when the works were carried out with public funds. She claimed that the locals were charged only ₹360 per month. She further claimed that the 51 km stretch was currently in use.

Mr. Anilkumar also expressed concern over the condition of flyovers at Edamuttam and Vadanapally. He said that both structures are in the initial stages of construction and are yet to be put into full operation. He made his comments about insufficient street lighting on a substantial part of the 60 km stretch and the fact that in several places there was a lack of sufficient signage indicating turns, merging lanes, ongoing construction and changes in traffic.

He further pointed out that the proposed toll directly affected the residents of Nattika and neighboring localities as the plaza was located in an area used for their normal local travel. The court directed the authorities concerned to consider the objections filed by Mr. Anilkumar in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing on November 4.

Published – 14 Oct 2026 21:42 IST