Maradu residents cannot be exempted from paying toll: NHAI

File picture of the toll plaza at Kumbalam in Kochi
| Photo Credit: Vibhu H.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has informed the Ernakulam District Collector that it will not be possible to temporarily exempt residents of Maradu from paying toll at the agency’s toll plaza at Kumbalam.

A meeting chaired by District Collector N.S.K Umesh on Friday had decided to request the NHAI to temporarily exempt the Maradu residents, considering the month-long closure of the Kundannoor bridge and the adjacent Alexander Parambithara Bridge for resurfacing.

However, the NHAI Project Director told the District Collector that it was not technically possible to provide such an exemption. The Kundannoor bridge has been closed to traffic since October 15 for the Public Works department (NH wing) to scoop out its surface and resurface it using the stone mastic asphalt technology.

The bridge connected areas like Maradu and Kundannoor with Willingdon Island and West Kochi. With the bridge being closed, commuters are forced to ply through the toll plaza to reach West Kochi through Edakochi.