Suresh Gopi opens toll gates after seeing long queue of vehicles in Keralam’s Thrissur

Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Sunday directed toll plaza operators to open all gates at Paliyekkara here after witnessing a long queue of vehicles waiting to cross the toll plaza, officials said.

According to the police, Mr. Gopi was travelling from Thrissur towards Ernakulam when he saw vehicles queued up for more than two kilometres on both sides of the toll plaza.

Although his escort vehicle managed to clear the traffic and take him towards the toll plaza, Mr. Gopi got out of his vehicle on reaching the toll booth and directed the operators to open all the gates.

His security personnel also joined the effort and opened the toll gates, following which the queue was cleared in around half-an-hour, the police said. Mr. Gopi then resumed his journey.

Speaking to a television channel, Mr. Gopi said he felt a sense of responsibility after seeing the long queue and decided to intervene.

“There are clear legal guidelines that if vehicles are queuing up to such a distance—considering the fuel waste from idling, excessive heat emissions, and smoke emissions—the court has issued strict directives that if vehicles build up beyond a certain point, the toll gates must be opened to let them pass,” he said.

Mr. Gopi said toll operators could not be blamed for collecting toll, but the process could take considerable time when the number of vehicles was high.

“There is no point in blaming them either; they have to collect the toll. But this takes a lot of time. So, what happened today—where a Union Minister himself directly intervened—should serve as an eye-opener for the authorities,” he said.

He suggested that district administrations and local authorities should coordinate with police and intervene at toll plazas during days of heavy traffic.

“If the District Collectors or local authorities step in at these toll gates on such days, coordinate with the police, and pay extra attention, it would be a huge relief to commuters,” he said.

Mr. Gopi also said he was aware that some motorists resented the movement of his convoy.

“As the pilot vehicle led me through, I passed many people who felt resentment towards it. But I feel satisfied knowing that today, all of them were able to experience a great deal of relief as they moved forward,” he said.