Before the maintenance work on the Vadakkancherry-Mannuthy six-lane road is completed, toll rates have been raised once again, with the new rates scheduled to take effect from Monday, April 1. This development has left commuters frustrated, particularly as one of the Kuthiran twin tunnels is presently closed for maintenance, resulting in increased traffic congestion. The decision to hike toll rates has elicited strong protests from passengers.
In January, one of the Kuthiran twin tunnels was closed for maintenance, forcing vehicles to pass through the remaining tunnel in a single line. Despite ongoing discussions in the High Court regarding a public interest petition advocating for toll collection to be halted until the maintenance work concludes, the decision to increase toll rates has been made.
According to the revised toll fares, mini buses and small goods vehicles will now be charged Rs 170 for one direction, while for small vehicles, the toll has been raised from Rs 160 to Rs 165 for both directions. Despite the National Highway Authority’s acknowledgment that the construction of the six-lane road remains incomplete, toll collection by the construction company continues unabated.
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