The Kerala High Court has directed the Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Project Implementation Unit, Cochin, to decide within three weeks on a representation seeking deferment of toll collection at the Nattika Toll Plaza on National Highway 66. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. issued the direction on Wednesday, 14 October, in a public interest litigation challenging the proposed levy. The petition concerns toll collection scheduled to begin on 8 October 2026 under a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notification dated 31 July and an NHAI approval stated to have been issued on 5 October. It alleges that substantial portions of the service roads remain incomplete or unsuitable for normal traffic, forcing local vehicles, including two-wheelers and autorickshaws, onto the main carriageway or construction-affected sections. The petitioner has also raised concerns about incomplete flyovers at Edamuttam and Vadanappally, inadequate street lighting, missing traffic signs and warning boards, and safety risks for motorists and pedestrians. A further issue involves discrepancies between the Gazette notification and a public notice dated 6 October concerning the highway length used to calculate tolls. According to the petition, the notification records a notified section length of 61.900 km and a chargeable length of 92.536 km. The public notice instead refers to 53.885 km of completed six-lane road and a chargeable length of 76.988 km, creating differences of 8.015 km and 0.837 km in the relevant calculations. The petitioner has sought disclosure of the road sections and structures included, the engineering basis for the figures and the records supporting completion certificates issued in April. The listed single-journey fees range from Rs. 120 for cars and light motor vehicles to Rs. 775 for vehicles with seven or more axles. The petition also seeks protection for local users who may be required to cross the plaza during routine travel, along with independent technical verification and deferment until the works are completed and confirmed as functional. The Court directed the respondents to file an affidavit and posted the matter for further consideration on 4 November 2026.