The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched a sweeping drive to evict illegal dhabas and eateries operating along National Highways across the country, acting on directions from the Supreme Court that bar trucks from parking along highway stretches except at designated lay-bys. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways confirmed the initiative in an official statement, signalling one of the most coordinated enforcement pushes on highway safety in recent years.

Scale of the Problem

NHAI has identified 595 critical locations of unauthorised parking — mapped with longitude and latitude coordinates — spread across multiple states. Roadside encroachments, unregulated commercial activity, and illegal parking have long been cited as contributors to highway accidents, obstructing traffic flow and creating blind-spot hazards for high-speed vehicles.

The authority is working in close coordination with state governments, district administrations, and enforcement agencies to clear these spots. Evictions of illegal eateries and dhabas are being prioritised because their presence directly generates truck and heavy-vehicle parking outside designated zones.

Legal Framework and Enforcement Mechanism

NHAI is invoking the provisions of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002 to remove encroachments from highway corridors. The Supreme Court's strictures against non-designated parking have given the drive fresh legal backing, pressing state governments to act rather than defer.

To institutionalise compliance, NHAI is pushing for the establishment of District Highway Safety Task Forces in every state, with dedicated nodal officers tasked with monitoring enforcement and enabling inter-agency coordination. According to the ministry's statement, these mechanisms are designed to support 'timely enforcement action and enable continuous monitoring of safety-related issues along the National Highway network.'

Technology and Patrolling Upgrades

Alongside physical evictions, NHAI has directed its field offices to conduct immediate audits of all Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) installations. The audit covers traffic monitoring cameras, video incident detection systems, variable speed detection systems, variable message signboards, and emergency call boxes — ensuring all components are fully operational.

Deployment of ambulances and recovery vehicles, enhanced highway patrolling, and integration of ATMS alerts with enforcement agencies are being fast-tracked. The stated goal is faster incident response and improved enforcement across the national highway network.

What This Means for Road Users

For truckers and long-haul drivers, the crackdown signals a firm shift toward designated rest areas and truck lay-bys — a practice standard in highway systems globally but inconsistently enforced in India. For residents and small businesses operating informally along highway margins, the evictions could have livelihood implications that authorities have not yet publicly addressed.

This is not the first time NHAI has announced action against highway encroachments, but the combination of Supreme Court orders, geo-tagged enforcement data, and District Task Forces gives this round a more structured backbone than previous drives. Whether on-ground compliance matches the institutional architecture being built will be the defining test in the months ahead.