4 months ago
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In presumption of the continued protests against toll postulation astatine the recently introduced Olavanna (Pantheerankavu) toll plaza connected the NH-66 Vengalam–Ramanattukara agelong connected Kozhikode Bypass, District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh has convened a gathering connected Saturday (January 17).
The gathering is scheduled to beryllium held successful the Collector’s chamber, with the Project Director and officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and anti-toll protesters to instrumentality part.
The protest, led by District Congress Committee president K. Praveenkumar, started connected Thursday (January 15) erstwhile the toll postulation was introduced and continued connected Friday greeting (January 16) arsenic well. Party workers raised slogans against interest collection, alleging that the work roads stay incomplete. “Residents are being forced to usage the main carriageway and wage tolls repeatedly for short-distance question due to the fact that work roads stay unusable,” Mr. Praveenkumar told The Hindu.
N. Muraleedharan, ward subordinate of Pantheerankavu North, the ward closest to the toll plaza, successful Olavanna grama panchayat, said that work roads connected some sides of the road towards Pantheerankavu and Thondayad were neither afloat constructed nor sufficiently wide. “Service roads are mandated to beryllium 5-5.5 metres wide, but the existent roads bash not conscionable these requirements. There is besides nary due proviso to transverse the bridge, forcing residents to walk done the toll plaza adjacent for regular travel,” helium said, attributing postulation congestion on the agelong to the existing situation.
Responding to the allegations, Prashant Dubey, Project Director astatine the NHAI, said work roads were toll-free and afloat accessible wherever operation had been completed. “Toll charges use lone to the nationalist highway, wherever enactment has already been finished. Delays successful definite work roadworthy stretches are owed to onshore acquisition issues, the solution of which is underway,” helium said, adding that residents surviving wrong a 20-km radius were eligible for concessional monthly passes.
Meanwhile, Kerala Human Rights Commission has registered a lawsuit and issued a announcement to the Project Director of the NHAI pursuing a ailment regarding the deficiency of pedestrian entree connected the National Highway work roadworthy successful Palazhi.
Judicial subordinate K. Baijunath has directed that a study beryllium submitted wrong 15 days. The lawsuit volition beryllium heard during a sitting astatine the Kozhikode Public Works section (PWD) Rest House successful February.
The enactment follows a ailment filed by P. Krishnadas, from Nellikode, alleging that determination was not adjacent capable abstraction for pedestrians to basal speech erstwhile a conveyance passes. Around 300 households are presently facing hardship owed to this issue, the ailment stated.
