The Kerala High Court on Monday declined to lift its order suspending toll collection at the Paliyekkara plaza on NH 544, after noting that the service road near Muringoor had collapsed, worsening traffic congestion in the area. The case has been adjourned to Thursday.

The court had initially suspended toll collection for four weeks from 6 August, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court. The suspension was subsequently extended. Last week, the bench had indicated it would conditionally lift the suspension after reviewing the Interim Traffic Management Committee’s report.

During Monday’s hearing, the court observed that the service road collapse near Muringoor posed risks to vehicular movement and aggravated congestion. Thrissur district collector, appearing online, said the collapse was caused by deep excavation work carried out for the RCC retaining wall’s foundation.

The bench directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit a detailed report on the incident before any decision on resuming toll collection is taken. NHAI claimed that the damaged portion had been restored, but the court ordered the matter to be verified by the committee before further proceedings.