Chennai, Nov 4:
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder and Member of Parliament Thol. Thirumavalavan on Tuesday urged the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and state authorities to completely suspend toll collection across all toll plazas in Tamil Nadu during the peak Deepavali festive travel window. The plea aims to avert severe vehicular congestion and ease travel costs for millions of citizens heading home.
Highlighting the immense passenger exodus from Chennai and other major industrial clusters toward southern and western districts, Thirumavalavan pointed out that lengthy processing delays at toll barriers routinely create massive vehicular bottlenecks stretching several kilometres, forcing commuters, families, and state express buses to spend hours stranded on national highways.
The VCK leader stressed that temporarily waving the toll fee for three to four days surrounding the festival would ensure seamless traffic flow and provide substantial financial relief to working-class families and motorists already grappling with festive travel expenses. He noted that similar holiday exemptions have been implemented successfully during national emergencies and massive festive movements elsewhere to prioritize smooth public mobility over toll revenues.
Thirumavalavan additionally appealed to state transport corporations to curb extortionate fares charged by unauthorized private bus operators who exploit festive demand, urging transport department flying squads to carry out stringent inspections to ensure that passengers are not overcharged during their journey.