SC Moves to Safeguard India's Expressways and Highways with Nationwide Safety Guidelines

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The Supreme Court is taking steps to prevent road accidents on India's expressways and national highways. The court has expressed concern over the construction of unauthorized food stalls and eateries on these roads, which can be a major cause of accidents. In a recent incident in Rajasthan's Phalodi, 15 people lost their lives in a road accident. To address this issue, the court has asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to submit the rules and regulations for taking action against these unlicensed eateries. The court also wants to know about the actions taken so far and which authorities are responsible for enforcing the provisions. NHAI's Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, submitted that the authority has the power to remove these eateries but lacks control over local authorities who are responsible for their removal. He suggested finding a solution to this problem. The court acknowledged that service roads exist on some expressways and highways but pointed out that this is not the case for all of them. Illegal food stalls and eateries often set up shop in between, where most accidents occur. The NHAI's report blames local contractors or the administration for the encroachments, but the court wants to know which authority is responsible for overseeing the situation. The court aims to formulate guidelines to fill the gaps in existing provisions and ensure their implementation to prevent similar accidents in the future. The court has also been informed that a recent Supreme Court judgment directed the NHAI to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) to remove encroachments. The court is looking at a wider perspective to formulate guidelines for the entire country, not just one state. Senior advocate A N S Nadkarni has filed Google images showing widespread encroachments on highways. The court has asked the NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to respond to the issue and has taken suo-motu cognizance of the Phalodi accident, which resulted in the deaths of 15 people, including 10 women and four children.