Madras High Court asks NHAI to repair NH-7 in Madurai

The Madras high court on Monday asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to respond to a petition seeking a direction to take appropriate action to repair the four-lane national highway (NH-7) between Madurai and Nagercoil. The petition also requested that toll collection be halted until maintenance work is completed at a few locations along the stretch. S Govind, an advocate and a resident of Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district, had filed a public interest lawsuit in the court. The petitioner informed that he travels the national highway from Tirunelveli to Madurai regularly. Govind said that a large portion of the stretch is in poor condition and that a few bridges are undergoing maintenance. Due to maintenance work, the four-lane road has been reduced to two lanes in a few places, according to Govind. As a result, vehicles are forced to travel at a very slow speed, causing inconvenience to road users by lengthening travel times and increasing fuel consumption. Govind told the media that even though motorists face numerous challenges, regular toll fees are collected at all toll plazas along the route. The NHAI should have announced a temporary exemption of toll fees for vehicles until the maintenance work is completed. Despite Govind's submission to the authorities, no action was taken. As a result, he shifted the HC Madurai bench. The case was adjourned for two weeks by a division bench of Justices Pushpa Sathyanarayana and P Velmurugan, who requested a response from the NHAI. Image Source