The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked why the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) cannot deploy an electronic surveillance system to immediately detect and track vehicles parked or left stationary on highways.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta raised the issue while hearing a suo motu case on road safety arising from a November 2025 accident in Rajasthan’s Phalodi that claimed 15 lives.
Senior advocate A N S Nadkarni, assisting the court as amicus curiae, referred to recent accidents allegedly linked to vehicles being parked on highways.
“Why can't the NHAI, which has got all the resources with it, have some kind of an electronic surveillance mechanism by which any vehicle found stationary or parked on the highways be immediately tracked,” the bench observed.
An advocate appearing in the matter told the court that the NHAI already carries out patrolling on highways.
The court was also informed that several interlocutory applications had been filed in the case. It posted the matter for October 13 and said it would consider applications concerning the removal of encroachments from highways.
The Supreme Court had flagged the issue of highway encroachments and stationary vehicles during an earlier hearing in September. The NHAI had then told the court that it had issued circulars directing regular inspections and patrolling to check unauthorised parking.
The case stems from the November 2, 2025 accident near Matoda village on the Bharat Mala Highway in Phalodi, where a tempo traveller travelling from Bikaner’s Kolayat temple to Jodhpur rammed into a stationary trailer truck, killing 15 people.
In April, the court issued a series of interim directions on highway safety, including a ban on heavy and commercial vehicles parking or stopping on national highway carriageways or paved shoulders except at designated bays, lay-bys or wayside amenities.
It also barred the construction or operation of new dhabas, eateries and other commercial structures within the right of way of national highways.
The court directed the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the NHAI to identify accident blackspots and critical areas and publish a comprehensive list of blackspots on national highways.
The court had observed that national highways account for about 2 per cent of India’s total road length but nearly 30 per cent of road fatalities, stressing the need to address safety gaps on high-speed roads.
(With inputs from PTI)
