Heavy congestion at toll booths of Thalassery-Mahe Bypass, commuters on protest mode

Kannur: Thalassery-Mahe Bypass, which was expected to provide relief to commuters from the hectic traffic, is hardly meeting the purpose, barely a week after it was inaugurated. Heavy traffic congestion at the toll collection booth on the bypass causes heavy traffic blocks.

The newly constructed six-lane bypass has four toll booths. Emergency vehicles, including ambulances, being held up traffic snarl ups has become a regular feature.

According to commuters, they have to spend 15 to 30 minutes at the toll plaza. Though the district administration has decided to create a dedicated lane for emergency vehicles it is not clear when it would be opened. NHAI has not set up a full-fledged toll plaza on the stretch as there are plans to shift it to Kalyassery after the highway work is completed.

"My family and I were travelling through the newly opened Mahe bypass to attend a funeral. Unfortunately, we got stuck at the toll booth for 30 minutes. We requested the gate to be opened, but it took some time. Thankfully, we were able to make it to the funeral in time. Otherwise, we would not have been able to pay our last respects to the deceased," Mohammad Shafi, a native of Thana, said.

"I asked them (toll plaza staff) to open the gate as the number of vehicles in the queue exceeded the limit, but they were a bit rude. Most commuters do not have FasTag and that is causing delay at the at the toll plaza from the first day itself," Shafi added.

Heavy traffic at the toll plaza has almost doubled the travel time on the bypass, commuters allege. The delays and traffic snarl ups also resulted protests from the commuters. "If the authorities continue to collect the tolls this way, Youth Congress will block the tollbooth and protest. We cannot sit idle in such situations," Youth Congress district president Vijil Mohanan said.