'Open every gate': Suresh Gopi stops at toll plaza, orders all 12 gates open after seeing 2-km traffic jam

Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Saturday ordered all gates at the Paliyekkara toll plaza on NH 544 in Thrissur district to be opened after finding vehicles queued for more than two kilometres on both sides, news agency PTI reported.

Gopi was travelling from Thrissur to Ernakulam around 5.45 pm when his convoy reached the Mannuthy–Angamaly stretch and encountered the massive backlog. Though his police pilot cleared a path for him and took him towards the toll plaza.

The minister said he felt a sense of responsibility after seeing the long queue and decided to intervene. He added, "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."

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Gopi clarified that toll staff were simply doing their job and should not be held personally responsible for the congestion. He said toll operators could not be blamed for collecting tolls, 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.

The minister suggested that district administrations and local authorities should proactively 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.

The Thrissur MP also acknowledged that some motorists resented the movement of his convoy even as it helped clear the jam. "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.

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On reaching the plaza, Gopi got out of his vehicle and directed toll operators to open every gate. His security personnel and staff joined him, and police on duty also assisted in managing the flow. For about 10–15 minutes, all 12 booths were kept open to let the piled-up traffic clear.

According to police, the congestion on both sides eased within roughly 30 minutes, after which the minister resumed his journey.