Vehicles which were caught in a snarl-up at the Pantheerankavu toll plaza in Kozhikode city on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: K. Ragesh
Motorists and residents’ associations have urged the Kozhikode City police and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to take immediate steps to address frequent traffic bottlenecks and alleged poor management at the Pantheerankavu toll plaza on the six-lane highway.According to residents and road users, the toll plaza operators have failed to manage traffic effectively during technical glitches and disputes over toll payment. They claimed that some staff members lacked adequate training to handle such situations.“In the name of technical hitches, motorists are forced to queue for several minutes on the six-lane highway. The toll plaza staff are not adequately trained to manage such situations or deal with emergency travellers,” said Ratheesh Puthanpurakkal, a functionary of a local residents’ association. He added that complaints about the alleged lack of training for toll plaza staff had been raised repeatedly.Bus operators using the route have also complained about the absence of an effective grievance-redressal mechanism. According to them, disputes over toll collection errors often escalate as the staff are not adequately trained in customer service etiquette and handling complaints from road users.“Owing to technical errors or insufficient balance, the toll payment system often shows vehicles as blacklisted. Toll collectors are not always prepared to handle such situations calmly and explain the matter to motorists,” said V.P. Shajith, a driver. “Many a time, this leads to heated arguments in the middle of the road and delays other road users,” he added.‘Separate space to resolve disputes’He said a separate space should be provided near the toll plaza to resolve such disputes without disrupting traffic flow.Residents’ associations have also demanded the opening of service roads to allow residents to bypass the toll plaza wherever applicable. They alleged that assurances given to residents during the construction of the highway regarding access through service roads had not been fully honoured.The complaints come against the backdrop of an earlier intervention by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). A few months ago, the District Collector was directed to examine complaints raised by a city-based human rights activist, including alleged misbehaviour by toll plaza staff towards road users. The complaints also highlighted recurring traffic congestion at toll gates and difficulties faced by emergency vehicles.The toll plaza operators, however, said road users were still unfamiliar with the automated toll-payment system, and that staff should not be held solely responsible for the problems. They maintained that technical issues and difficulties faced by motorists also contributed to delays at the plaza.Police sources said complaints regarding the toll plaza were being examined by senior traffic police officers and that steps were being considered to address the problems. They said the district administration had also issued instructions to address the concerns amid increasing traffic on the highway. Published - August 14, 2026 07:30 am IST
