‘Stop toll collection for damaged Thoothukudi–Palayamkottai four-lane’
The Hindu
THOOTHUKUDI Collection of toll for the Thoothukudi–Palayamkottai National Highway should be stopped
Collection of toll for the Thoothukudi–Palayamkottai National Highway should be stopped until the National Highways Authority of India repairs or re-lays this dangerously damaged 48-Km-long busy stretch, AIADMK’s O. Panneerselvam-led faction has said.
In a petition submitted to Collector K. Senthilraj on Monday, functionaries of AIADMK led by former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, said the Thoothukudi–Palayamkottai National Highway with a few hundred potholes is in the worst shape due to ‘zero maintenance’ by the National Highways Authority of India.
However, heavy toll is being collected for every vehicle crossing the toll plaza near Vaagaikulam.
Moreover, the seriously damaged bridge across the Tamirabharani at Vallanaadu, which remains a threat to the safe passage of heavy vehicles and the cars, is yet to be repaired properly even though more than ₹ 15 crore had already been spent in the guise of repairing the bridge actually built on an outlay of ₹ 25 crore.
To make things worse, the ongoing construction of the bridge at Pudukottai is getting dragged indefinitely due to the inefficiency of the contractor identified by the NHAI and cause accidents every day.
“Hence, the Collector should order the suspension of toll collection at Vaagaikulam until the Thoothukudi–Palayamkottai stretch is made safe by the NHAI,” said the petitioners.
They also appealed to the Collector to allow them to install the statue of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa at any one of the places, including Ettaiyapuram–State Bank Colony Junction, Polepettai Junction or Jayaraj Road–Arulraj Hospital Junction.
The All-India level NEET examination was started a few years ago to counter complaints of corruption during the joint entrance examinations held at the State level. AIDSO had warned the authorities that the solution to the menace of corruption was not changing the examination system, but to investigate the corruption and punish the guilty.