Thoraipakkam residents protest against ‘illegal’ toll plaza on Radial Road

Residents of Anand Nagar, Vinayaga Nagar, MCN Nagar, Sri Sai Nagar and other areas in Thoraipakkam staged a demonstration near the toll plaza near their locality.

“When the toll plaza was set up in 2008, there were not many houses in the locality. Now, the area has developed. To avoid toll plaza, motorists take a detour through residential areas posing danger to us,” said A Francis, president of Federation of Thoraipakkam Welfare Associations.

Francis said it was through an RTI application that the residents found that the toll plaza was functioning illegally. “The government has given permission to set up toll plaza only on Old Mahabalipuram Road, not on the Radial Road,” he said. According to the protestors, frequent traffic snarls are witnessed on Pillaiyar Koil Street in Thoraipakkam as the motorists try to avoid the toll booth. 

Even though the local residents are provided with monthly passes to use the road, residents who travel by taxis and other rented vehicles are forced to pay the toll.

“We have been giving petitions to the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company Limited and the State Highways Department to remove the plaza. But they refuse to remove the facility citing the practice of motorists using the Radial Road to avoid toll plaza on OMR,” Francis said.