Congress workers stage a protest against toll collection at the newly opened Olavanna toll plaza on the Kozhikode bypass (NH-66) in Kozhikode on January 16. Photo credit: K. Ragesh
In view of the ongoing protests against toll collection at the newly established Olavanna (Pantheerankavu) toll plaza on the Vengalam–Ramanattukara section of NH-66 on the Kozhikode bypass, District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has called a meeting on Saturday (January 17).
The meeting is to be held at the collectorate and will be attended by the project director and officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the toll protesters.
Led by District Congress Committee President K. Praveenkumar, the protest began on Thursday (January 15) when the toll collection was introduced and continued on Friday morning (January 16). Party workers raised slogans against the collection of tolls and claimed that service communications remain incomplete. “Residents are forced to use the main road and repeatedly pay tolls to travel short distances as service roads remain unusable,” Mr. Praveenkumar told The Hindu.
N. Muraleedharan, ward member of Pantheerankavu North, the ward closest to the toll plaza in Olavanna grama panchayat, said the service roads on both sides of the expressway towards Pantheerankavu and Thondayad are neither fully constructed nor wide enough. “The service roads are supposed to be 5-5.5 meters wide, but the current roads do not meet these requirements. There is also no proper provision for crossing the bridge, which forces residents to pass through the toll booth even during normal travel,” he said, attributing traffic jams on the section to the current situation.
Responding to the allegations, Prashant Dubey, project director of NHAI, said service roads are free and fully accessible wherever construction has been completed. “The tolls apply only to the state highway where the work has already been completed. Delays on some sections of the service roads are caused by land acquisition problems, which are currently being resolved,” he said, adding that residents living within a 20-kilometer radius are entitled to discounted monthly tickets.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Human Rights Commission has registered a case and issued a notice to the project director of NHAI following a complaint regarding the lack of pedestrian access on the service road of the National Highway at Palazhi.
Judiciary K. Baijunath directed that the report be submitted within 15 days. The case will be heard during a meeting at the Rest House of the Kozhikode Public Works Department (PWD) in February.
The lawsuit follows a complaint filed by P. Krishnadas of Nellikode, who alleged that there was not even enough space for pedestrians to stand aside when the vehicle was passing. According to the complaint, around 300 households are currently facing emergencies.
Published – 16 Jan 2026 20:59 IST
