The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have intensified anti-encroachment drives across the country to restore the Right of Way (RoW) on National Highways, aiming to enhance road safety, improve traffic flow, and protect critical highway infrastructure. The initiative follows the Supreme Court’s directives for the removal of unauthorised encroachments on public roads and highways.
According to the Ministry, unauthorised structures, illegal commercial establishments, temporary sheds, roadside extensions, and unapproved access points have become major safety hazards on highways. These encroachments obstruct visibility, narrow carriageways, interfere with drainage systems, create unsafe entry and exit points, and increase the risk of road crashes by forcing sudden lane changes and distracting drivers. They also impede highway maintenance, emergency response, and future infrastructure expansion.
As part of the nationwide effort, NHAI’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU), Rajkot, has launched a large-scale anti-encroachment campaign in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 9 of 2025. The authority surveyed nearly 693 km of National Highways under its jurisdiction and issued 1,403 notices against unauthorised structures, illegal commercial accesses, and unapproved median cuts. So far, more than 361 illegal accesses and encroachments have been removed, while 150 unauthorised median gaps have been permanently closed.
The enforcement drives have been conducted in coordination with District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to ensure effective implementation. Recent large-scale operations have successfully cleared encroachments along the Somnath–Dwarka National Highway, particularly in Bardiya and the stretch between Honest Hotel and Hathi Chowk, restoring safer travel conditions on the religiously significant corridor.
MoRTH emphasised that these drives are not merely enforcement measures but critical road safety interventions. Restoring the designated Right of Way improves visibility, facilitates emergency operations, enhances traffic movement, and reduces the likelihood of accidents while safeguarding public investment in national highway infrastructure and enabling future expansion without unnecessary delays.
Also Read: NHAI Launches Digital Local Pass and AI-Powered MargMitra Help Centre on RajmargYatra App
Join our WhatsApp Channel for fastest updates: Join now