THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Motorists travelling along the 642-km stretch of NH 66 in Keralam currently have no designated rest areas, prompting the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to seek state government intervention to develop wayside amenities. The death of eight engineering students after their car rammed into a lorry parked on the highway in Thrissur earlier this month brought to the fore the gap in basic safety on Keralam’s new high-speed corridor.
The absence of dedicated spaces for motorists to stop, rest and park is becoming a major challenge as more sections of the widened NH 66 are being opened to traffic. With vehicles travelling at higher speeds, roadside parking or stopping at unsafe locations can turn into a serious accident risk, particularly at night and on stretches with limited space, NHAI officials pointed out.
The national agency had formally flagged the issue with the state government last year, in January, seeking vacant government land adjoining NH 66 for the development of rest areas, truck lay-byes, and other wayside amenities.
As per the norms cited by NHAI, wayside amenities are to be provided every 60 km along national highways to facilitate rest and refreshment for commuters. However, recognising Keralam’s severe land constraints, NHAI proposed identifying at least 10 wayside amenity sites at intervals of around 100 km along NH 66.
In April, the Supreme Court had issued a strict directive prohibiting the parking of heavy and commercial vehicles on national highways and had directed the NHAI and the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) to build truck rest bays every 75 km with safe parking, food services, clean washrooms, and first aid provision.
“NHAI is constructing amenities across the country along the national highways and in Keralam, too, wayside amenities are part of the project. But land constraint is a major challenge. Hence, we have asked the government to help us find land for the purpose,” an official said.
‘Land availability a major challenge in Keralam’
The proposed facilities are envisaged to include rest areas, truck lay-byes, logistic parks, and commercial spaces, providing motorists and heavy-vehicle drivers with designated locations to stop instead of using the highway or service roads as makeshift parking spaces.
“Motorists may need to stop for rest, vehicle checks, emergencies, or to attend to elderly passengers and children. In the absence of designated facilities, such stops can spill over onto shoulders, service roads, and other unsafe locations,” the official pointed out.
Last year, during site inspections, NHAI identified 1.4 hectares of vacant land between the newly constructed stretch and the existing NH 66 near Calicut University as suitable for developing rest areas and truck lay-byes. Though NHAI approached the university, it refused to hand over the land.
“We had taken up the requirement with the state government and suggested identifying land at roughly 100 km intervals. The practical solution is to identify government land at regular intervals and establish a network of wayside amenities. If we go for land acquisition, it will take a lot of time,” the NHAI source said. At the same time, a senior public works department (PWD) official, citing the SC direction to set up wayside amenity centres along the national highway, said the primary responsibility lies with the NHAI.
“Land for these facilities has not yet been acquired. Its availability is a major challenge in Keralam. NHAI is acquiring land for the highway at various locations, and the requirement for Wayside Amenity Centres can also be taken up as part of that process,” the official told TNIE.
While district collectors had been tasked with identifying suitable locations, the process was at different stages across the state, the official said. Malappuram is the only district where the land identification process has progressed, the PWD official added.
Highlighting the need for mandatory truck lay-byes and wayside amenities, road safety expert Sanjay Kumar said: “When service roads or rest stops aren’t provided, vacant land patches near the highways quickly turn into illegal parking spots for trucks stopping at roadside stalls. This encroachment directly spills into the main carriageway. If a high-speed vehicle gets slightly distracted at night, the results would be often fatal. We need mandatory rest bays, clear encroachments, and rumble strips to alert fatigued drivers.”
