The Madras High Court on Wednesday (July 9, 2025) agreed to hear on Thursday (July 10) a plea by Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) to modify its July 8, 2025, order directing four National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) concessionaires in southern districts to prevent the government buses from plying through their toll plazas due to non-payment of toll arrears of ₹276 crore. Justice N. Anand Venkatesh accepted a request made by Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ravindran for an early hearing of the matter and directed the High Court Registry to list it on Thursday morning. The AAG assured the court that he would take up the issue with the State transport department and come up with a solution for settling the arrears that had mounted over the years. The judge had on Tuesday (July 8) ordered that TNSTC buses should not be allowed to ply through the toll plazas at Kappalur, Etturavattam, Salaipudhur, and Nanguneri from July 10, 2025, and directed the Director General of Police/Head of Police Force as well as the Inspector General of Police (south zone) to deploy adequate police force at the four toll plazas to prevent any untoward incident0s. The judge said, he had no choice but to take the extreme step of preventing public transportation through the toll plazas since the arrear amount was continuing to increase due to levy penalty and interest. He also stated that the transport department may not come to the negotiating table and find a solution to the issue unless some shocking order was passed against it. The interim order was passed on a batch of writ petitions filed by Madurai-Kanniyakumari Tollway Private Limited, Kanniyakumari-Etturavattam Tollway Private Limited, Salaipudur-Madurai Tollway Private Limited, and Nanguneri-Kanniyakumari Tollway Private Limited, accusing TNSTC buses of failing to settle toll charges and not installing Fastag on the vehicles.