Taking note of the bad condition of the road between Maduravoyal and Wallajahpet, the Madras high court has initiated suo motu proceedings and ordered notice to the National Highways Authority of India and State Highways department
Chennai: Taking note of the bad condition of the road between Maduravoyal and Wallajahpet, the Madras high court has initiated suo motu proceedings and ordered notice to the National Highways Authority of India and State Highways department.
Passing interim orders on a suo motu PIL, a division bench comprising Justices M.Sathyanarayanan and N.Seshasayee, after perusing the photographs and other materials produced before it, said the materials in the form of photographs, which would prima facie disclose that the particular stretch of road, especially near Maduravoyal bridge as well near Parivakkam, would disclose that only patch work is being done and as of now this court is unable to know when the road was built and re-laid.
This court can also take judicial note of the fact that despite bad condition and improper maintenance of the road, toll fee is being collected from the road users at regular rates and rather at increased rates and it also appears that no responsibility has been fixed upon the concessionaire and no follow up action has also been done by the NHAI officials, the bench added.
The suo motu PIL was taken up following a note put up by Justice M.Sathyanarayanan dated November 22, 2019 to the Chief Justice regarding “Bad condition and improper maintenance of National Highways-4 between Maduravoyal and Wallajahpet”. It also sought a direction to the authorities to take appropriate measures to re-lay the road afresh of National Highway No.4 between Maduravoyal and Wallajahpet in accordance with the Indian Road Congress specifications and file a report in compliance in this regard and consequently direct the authorities not to collect the toll fee till road was re-laid and maintained properly.
When the suo motu PIL came up for hearing on Thursday, the bench posted to December 9, further hearing of the case, after Assistant solicitor general G.Karthikeyan and Additional government pleader E.Manoharan took notice for the NHAI and State Highways department respectively, he added.
