In a major initiative aimed at strengthening road safety and ensuring obstruction-free movement on National Highways, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has intensified efforts to curb unauthorized parking and encroachments along National Highway corridors across the country. The initiative is being undertaken in compliance with the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and forms part of NHAI's continued commitment towards creating safer, more efficient and user-friendly National Highway infrastructure.

Unauthorized parking of vehicles, roadside encroachments and unregulated activities along National Highways pose significant risks to road users and adversely impact traffic flow and safety. To address these challenges, NHAI has identified 595 critical locations of unauthorized parking (along with longitude and latitude details) across different states and is working in close coordination with State Governments, district administrations and enforcement agencies for removal of unauthorized parking from National Highways.

Further, NHAI has undertaken concerted efforts for the removal of encroachments from National Highway corridors under the provisions of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002. To further strengthen institutional coordination, NHAI is working closely with State Governments for the establishment of District Highway Safety Task Forces and nomination of nodal officers to monitor compliance and facilitate inter-agency coordination. These mechanisms will support timely enforcement action and enable continuous monitoring of safety-related issues along National Highway network.

In addition, NHAI has also directed its field offices to undertake immediate audits of all Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) installations and ensure that components such as Traffic Monitoring Cameras, Video Incident Detection Systems, Variable Speed Detection Systems, Variable Message Signboards and Emergency Call Boxes are fully operational. Also, deployment of ambulances and recovery vehicles, enhanced highway patrolling, integration of ATMS alerts with enforcement agencies and proactive maintenance of safety infrastructure are being prioritized to enable faster incident response, improved enforcement and safer travel for National Highway users across the country.

The initiative reflects NHAI's commitment towards developing safer National Highways through strengthening enforcement to ensure seamless passenger and freight movement across the country.

***

GDH/DS/HJ