New Delhi, 29 July (H.S.): The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), in collaboration with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has launched a nationwide campaign to remove encroachments from national highways with the objective of restoring road safety and ensuring the smooth flow of traffic. The drive, being carried out in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court, aims to eliminate illegal constructions, unauthorised commercial establishments and unlawful access points along highways to facilitate safer transportation.

The Ministry said that NHAI's Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in Rajkot recently conducted a large-scale anti-encroachment operation. During the exercise, officials surveyed 693 kilometres of national highways and issued 1,403 notices for various violations, including illegal structures, unauthorised commercial access points and median cuts created without permission.

As part of the enforcement action, authorities removed 361 illegal access points and encroachments, while 150 unauthorised median openings were permanently closed. The operation was carried out in coordination with the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police concerned.

The Ministry further stated that a special anti-encroachment drive was recently conducted along the Somnath–Dwarka National Highway, during which hundreds of illegal structures and encroachments were removed from the Bardiya stretch and the section between Honest Hotel and Hathi Chowk.

According to the Ministry, the campaign is not merely an enforcement exercise but a crucial road safety initiative. Removing encroachments restores visibility for motorists, improves traffic movement, creates space for emergency services and significantly reduces the risk of road accidents.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar