The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit a report on measures taken to repair damaged bridges on the Thoothukudi–Tirunelveli four-lane highway, while expressing displeasure over toll collection on a highway where bridge and road defects continue to be reported.
The direction was issued by a bench comprising Justices P. Velmurugan and K.K. Ramasamy during hearings on public interest litigation concerning bridges across the Tamiraparani river at Vallanadu and Murappanadu. The court asked NHAI to report on the steps taken to restore the bridge and adjourned the matter to October 26.
The Vallanadu section has two bridges that were opened for public use in 2012. According to a public interest petition filed in 2021 by Tirunelveli advocate Chidambaram, NHAI officials had earlier stated that the structures would withstand floods and heavy vehicles and had given a 100-year assurance regarding their strength.
The petition said cracks developed in one bridge in 2017 and that the repairs carried out at the time were inadequate. It alleged that the bridge had subsequently weakened and was hanging in a dangerous condition. A hole reportedly appeared in the other bridge in March 2020, after which traffic was diverted through the remaining bridge. Heavy vehicles travelling to the Thoothukudi port use this highway.
The petitioner alleged that construction-related errors by contractors had caused the damage and sought directions to repair both bridges and take action against the contractors and officials concerned. The petition also referred to an older bridge between the two newer structures, stating that the approximately 70-year-old bridge remained structurally sound.
A separate public interest petition was filed in 2023 by Tirunelveli resident Ferdinand Rayan. It concerns the bridge across the Tamiraparani at Murappanadu on the same Thoothukudi–Tirunelveli route. The petition sought a halt to toll collection at the Vagaikulam toll plaza in Thoothukudi until the Murappanadu bridge was repaired.
During the hearing, the judges observed that deterioration of bridges and roads on national highways was continuing. The bench questioned whether the NHAI administration was functioning on the assumption that nobody could challenge the collection of tolls after a toll gate had been established. The court’s remarks linked the toll dispute to the wider issue of whether users should continue paying for access while essential highway infrastructure remains damaged.
The court has not, according to the supplied report, issued a final ruling directing the suspension of toll collection. NHAI has instead been asked to submit details of the repair action taken, with the next hearing listed for October 26.
