Massive traffic growl at Ernakulam-Thrissur National Highway in Muringur after the night of August 15, 2025 overturned a truck loaded on wood. Photo Credit: Kk Najeeb
On Monday (August 18, 2025), the Supreme Court asked whether the Indian National Highway (Nhai) should pay for their patience and fuel loss, while waiting for 12 hours for traffic mud on the National Motorway 544 in Kerala at the weekend.
When the main judge of the chief judge (CJI) BR Gavai, Vinod Chandran and NV Anjaria appeared, the General Attorney General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for Nhai, said the block was caused by an inverted truck.
Justice Chandran, who said he was traveling, said that the accident was barely “an act of God”, but was caused by a pothole.
“In fact, Nhai must be made some payment for their patience and fuel that has lost in the traffic block … that (a truck overturning) was not an act of God, but fell into a pothol.
The bench has heard a case related to the judgment of the Kerala High Court, which suspended the collection in Toll Booth in the Thrissur district in Paliyekkar in the Thrissur district due to poor state of the Edappally-Mannhy section in NH 544.
Mr. Mehta said there were service roads for commuting to operation in the points where the construction of the underpass is underway. However, the monsoon influenced the construction.
“Why should one pay 150 ₹ if it takes 12 hours to get from one end of the road to the other end?” He asked Cji.
CJI pointed out that the commuters were expected to suffer from traffic clogging for 12 hours and also pay tax.
Published – August 18, 2025 14:34
