The anti-toll protesters at the newly introduced toll plaza at Olavanna on the Kozhikode Bypass (NH 66) have suspended their agitation against the fee collection for a week, following assurances from District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh on Saturday (January 17).

​The mediatory talks, chaired by the Collector in his chamber in the evening, saw representatives of anti-toll protesters and officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) taking part. The toll collection at the plaza was introduced on January 15. However, protesters said they had agreed to pause the agitation but warned that it would be intensified if no solution emerged within a week.

​They alleged that the fee collection was introduced without any scientific basis and was giving a harrowing experience for residents.

​Dinesh Perumanna, a Congress leader and a representative of the protesters, said the decision to suspend the agitation was conditional. “The Collector has assured us that a solution will be worked out within one week. Until then, we have decided to stop the protest. If the issues are not resolved, the agitation will resume with greater intensity,” he added.

​NHAI project director Prashant Dubey said the objections were related to incomplete service roads at a few locations, including Malaparamba, the service road near HiLITE Mall, and Kodal Nadakkavu. “The stretches where work is pending together account for only 400 to 500 metres. Toll collection on a completed highway of over 54 km cannot be stopped due to such short sections,” he said, adding that the delays were mainly due to land acquisition issues beyond the authority’s control.

​He said timelines for completing work at each location had been indicated, and that construction would resume once land was made available. “A journey that earlier took three to four hours now takes around 30 to 45 minutes due to the improved infrastructure,” he said, pointing to the scale of investment made in the project.