NHAI to remove illegal dhabas, eateries and truck parking Along National Highways

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched a major drive to remove unauthorised truck parking, illegal dhabas and encroachments along National Highways to improve road safety and ensure smooth traffic movement across the country.

The action comes after the Supreme Court directed that trucks should not be parked along National Highway stretches except at designated lay-bys, citing concerns over accidents and road safety.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, unauthorised vehicle parking, roadside encroachments and unregulated commercial activities along National Highways pose serious risks to commuters and adversely affect traffic flow.

To address the issue, NHAI has identified 595 critical locations of unauthorised parking across various states and is working in coordination with state governments, district administrations and enforcement agencies to remove such violations from National Highway corridors.

The authority is also taking action against encroachments under the provisions of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002, with illegal roadside establishments, including dhabas and eateries contributing to truck parking violations, expected to face eviction.

District Highway Safety Task Forces to Be Set Up

To strengthen enforcement and monitoring, NHAI is collaborating with state governments to establish District Highway Safety Task Forces and appoint nodal officers for better inter-agency coordination.

According to the ministry, these mechanisms will help ensure timely enforcement action, improve compliance and facilitate continuous monitoring of safety-related issues on the National Highway network.

NHAI Orders Audit of Highway Safety Systems

NHAI has also directed its field offices to conduct immediate audits of all Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) installations.

The audit will cover traffic monitoring cameras, video incident detection systems, variable speed detection systems, variable message signboards and emergency call boxes to ensure they remain fully operational.

Focus on Faster Emergency Response

The authority said deployment of ambulances and recovery vehicles, enhanced highway patrolling, integration of ATMS alerts with enforcement agencies and proactive maintenance of safety infrastructure are being prioritised.

These measures are aimed at improving incident response times, strengthening enforcement and making National Highways safer for commuters across India.