The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has stepped up action against unauthorised parking and encroachments along National Highway corridors, in a move aimed at improving road safety and ensuring smoother traffic movement across the country.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the drive is being carried out in compliance with Supreme Court directions and is focused on removing obstructions that affect highway safety and traffic flow.
NHAI has identified 595 critical locations of unauthorised parking across different states.
These locations have been mapped with longitude and latitude details, and the authority is coordinating with state governments, district administrations and enforcement agencies for further action.
Unauthorised parking, roadside encroachments and unregulated activities along National Highways are considered major safety risks for road users.
They also slow down traffic movement and create bottlenecks on key highway stretches, especially in busy freight and passenger corridors.
NHAI has also started efforts to remove encroachments from National Highway corridors under the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002.
Read also : NHAI directs vehicle repair and puncture facilities at highway wayside amenities
To improve coordination, the authority is working with state governments for the formation of District Highway Safety Task Forces.
States have also been asked to nominate nodal officers to monitor compliance and support coordination between different agencies.
The task forces and nodal officers are expected to help in faster enforcement action and continuous monitoring of highway safety issues.
Along with action against encroachments and unauthorised parking, NHAI has directed its field offices to conduct immediate audits of Advanced Traffic Management System installations.
The audit will cover systems such as traffic monitoring cameras, video incident detection systems, variable speed detection systems, variable message signboards and emergency call boxes.
Field offices have been asked to ensure that these systems are fully operational.
NHAI is also prioritising the deployment of ambulances and recovery vehicles, enhanced highway patrolling, integration of traffic management alerts with enforcement agencies and maintenance of safety infrastructure.
Read also : Mahindra Group joins Delhi-NCR old truck, bus replacement scheme with 8% vehicle discount
