SC asks NHAI why highways lack camera surveillance, flags parking and encroachments

The Supreme Court has questioned the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on the absence of a camera-based surveillance system for national highways, pointing to encroachments and stationary vehicles as persistent safety hazards.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, hearing a suo motu case arising from a fatal accident in Rajasthan's Phalodi area, suggested that monitoring rooms could be set up at toll plazas to oversee highway conditions. The bench noted that illegal parking and encroachments on carriageways remain major concerns.

NHAI's counsel informed the court that circulars have been issued for regular inspection and patrolling to curb unauthorised parking. Senior advocate ANS Nadkarni, assisting the court as amicus curiae, highlighted that illegal vehicle parking on highways is a leading cause of road accidents.

The court also observed that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Tamil Nadu government have not yet filed their compliance affidavits. It granted two weeks for the ministries to respond and directed Tamil Nadu to file its affidavit before the next hearing on October 6.

The case stems from a November road accident in Phalodi, where a tempo traveller collided with a stationary trailer truck on the Bharat Mala Highway. In April, the court had issued interim directions barring heavy vehicles from parking on highway carriageways or paved shoulders except at designated bays, and prohibited new dhabas or commercial structures within the right of way.

The court had also asked authorities to identify and publish a list of accident blackspots on national highways, noting that these roads constitute roughly 2 percent of India's total road length yet account for nearly 30 percent of road fatalities.