The Madras High Court Bench here on Tuesday took serious note of sand lorries parked for days together on both sides of national and State highways before getting a chance to enter quarries for loading sand.
It ordered a surprise inspection of a 10- km-long stretch of National Highway - 67 between Pettavaithalai and Kulithalai in Karur district by the secretary of the District Legal Services Authority.
A Division Bench of Justices T.S. Sivagnanam and P. Velmurugan passed the order on a public interest litigation petition filed by P. Palanikumar of Melur near here. Stating that the problem was not confined only to Karur district, the judges directed the petitioner to include the State government also as one of the respondents to the case so that comprehensive directions could be issued to end the problem across the State.
Further, pointing out that Section 37 of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act of 2002 prohibited parking of vehicles in an unsafe way, the judges directed the DLSA secretary to conduct the surprise inspection within a fortnight and submit a report in the court by July 17.
In his affidavit, the petitioner claimed to have spotted around 700 lorries parked on the 10-km stretch of the two-lane national highway on June 17.
Contending that toll should not be collected on two-lane highways, the petitioner said National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was nevertheless collecting ₹23 at Thirupuvaithurai toll plaza and ₹42 at Manavasi toll plaza, situated on NH-67, from every four-wheeler for a single journey.
“The purpose of collection of toll should be for providing good quality roads and hassle-free movement of vehicles but the reality is otherwise,” he lamented.
