KOCHI: The High Court has stated that Tamil Nadu government buses are liable to pay tolls in Kerala. This judgment was pronounced by Justice CP Mohammad Niyas while dismissing the plea filed by the Regional Managing Director of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, Nagercoil, against collecting toll from Tamil Nadu government buses on the bridge built at Amaravila on National Highway 47 in Thiruvananthapuram. The single bench judgment was given in a petition filed in 2013 against the toll collection for the year 2013-14.

The pleas of the petitioners were that Tamil Nadu buses are running services to Kerala on the basis of an agreement between the two states and the benefits that KSRTC gets here should also be given to Tamil Nadu government buses. However, the Chief Engineer of the National Highways Department stated that the toll exemption is allowed for the vehicles of the central government and the vehicles of the Kerala government including KSRTC on the bridge built on the National Highway. This has been accepted by the High Court.

Anil Kumar, a resident of Attingal, a toll contractor, had also approached the High Court demanding that the toll arrears of the Tamil Nadu government buses be paid during 2013-14 with 12 percent interest. The petitioner was directed to approach the civil court to decide the amount and obtain the money in the event that the Tamil Nadu government was held liable to pay the toll.