In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,- ( a) "bridge" means any bridge on a highway, but does not include a bt idg·. the cost of c• nstruction of whi( h (including the cost of construc·ion of the approach road~ necessary f01 conmcting the b·1dge to the highway) ia less th,m fifteen lokhs rupees;
(b) "highway" means any road or way over which the public have a right of way. or are grantfd access, but doe~ not include any highway declared to be a national h1ghway under the National H1ghways Act, 1956 (Central Act 4B.of 1956) ;
(c) "motor vehicle" means any mechanically propelled vehicle adapted for use upon roads, whether the power of propuls on is transmuted thereto from any external or internal source, and inchtdes a chassis to which a body has not been attached ancl a tratler ;
• (d) "owner'" means, where the person in possession of a v• h1cle is a minor, the guardian of such minor and in relation to a vehicle which is the subject of a hire-purchase agreem('nt, the person in possession of the vrhicle under that agreement ;
(e) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(f) "toll" means the toll levied under this Act.
3. Levy of toll -(I) Tht' GoveTnment may levy a toll on rvery motor vehicle entering a bri••ge constructt'd wholly or partly at the expenst> of the Government and declared open for traffic after the 1st day of January, 1976.
(2) The toll shall be levied at such rate and for such peri• •d as the Gov('rnment mav, by notificatton in the Gazette, declare to be necessary for the recovesy of tht' amoun1s exprnded upon sucn bridge by the Government, or such porthn th,.r ·of as m 'Y be decided by the Government, together with inte: e't at such rate as they may fix. · • Received the as~ent of the Gove·nor on lhe 23rd Januarv 1977 and published m the Kerala Gazette No. 49 dated 25th January, 1977 24
(3) Th,. Government may place the cc.liection of th~ toll under the management of such person as m~y appear ~o them proper; and all persons employed in the management and collection of the to] I shall be liable to the same respomibdities as would belong to them lf employed in the collection of ba,ic tax.
Explanatwn.-In this sub-section, 'basic tax• means the b.1sic tax p.syable under the Kerala Land Tax Act, 1961 (13 of 1961).
(4) The Government may farm out the collection of the toll and m such a ca~e the farmer and his a~ents and servants shall be deemed to be persons appointed to collect the toll under this Act.
4 Recovery of foll.-(1) Where any toll is not paid on demand, the officer appointed to collect the same ~hall seize any motor vehicle on which it is chargeable or any goods earned by such motor vehicle and if the toll re mains Ul•Daid tor twenty-four hours with the cost arising from such seizure, the case shall be brought before an officer appointed by the Government by notification in l he ~ azett~ to superintend the collection of the toll.
(2) Wf;:r(' a case is brought bef~re an officer under ·~~b-sectton (1), he m y se II the property se1zed for discharge of the toll and all expenses occa sioned by ~uch non-paymmt, seizure and sale of the prop:.:rty in public auctJOn, and any balance that may remain after such discharge shall be returned •m demand to the owner of the mc.tor vehicle or goods, as the case may be:
Provtded that if at any time before the sale has actu~lly begun, the per, on whose property has been seized tenders the amount ol all the expens~s in· urred and double the toll payable oy h•m, the property seized shall forthwith be released. ·