Mumbai, June 30 -- Illegal dhabas and roadside eateries along the National Highways will be removed to prevent the parking of heavy goods vehicles outside, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said in a statement. The measure forms part of a major drive by the authority to curb unauthorised parking and encroachments and to enhance safety and ensure obstruction-free movement. The initiative follows a Supreme Court order restricting the parking of trucks along National Highway stretches except at designated bye-lays.
The authority has identified 595 critical locations of unauthorised parking, accompanied by longitude and latitude details, and is working closely with state governments, district administrations and enforcement agencies to remove unauthorised parking from National Highways. Removal of encroachments will be undertaken under the provisions of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002. Coordination with local agencies is intended to support timely enforcement action and sustained compliance.
The authority is also supporting the establishment of District Highway Safety Task Forces and the appointment of nodal officers to monitor compliance and to facilitate inter-agency coordination. These mechanisms are intended to enable continuous monitoring of safety-related issues along the National Highway network and to provide a framework for rapid decision making. Field units have been urged to maintain active communication with enforcement partners to support removal operations.
Field offices have been directed to audit all Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) installations and to ensure that traffic monitoring cameras, video incident detection systems, variable speed detection systems, variable message signboards and emergency call boxes are fully operational. Deployment of ambulances and recovery vehicles, enhanced highway patrolling and integration of ATMS alerts with enforcement agencies have been prioritised to improve incident response and enforcement. Proactive maintenance of safety infrastructure is expected to contribute to safer travel for national highway users across the country.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.