NHAI Removes Encroachments, Closes Illegal Median Gaps in Rajkot Highway Safety Drive
New Delhi, July 29 (TNT): The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has removed hundreds of encroachments and unauthorised highway access points in Gujarat’s Rajkot region as part of a nationwide drive to improve road safety and restore the Right of Way (RoW) on National Highways.
In a release on Wednesday, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said the anti-encroachment campaign is being carried out in compliance with Supreme Court directions for the removal of unauthorised structures on public roads and highways.
According to the ministry, NHAI’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in Rajkot surveyed nearly 693 km of National Highways under its jurisdiction and issued 1,403 notices against unauthorised structures, illegal commercial accesses and unapproved median cuts.
The authority has so far removed more than 361 illegal accesses and encroachments and permanently closed 150 unauthorised median gaps, which were identified as major safety hazards on high-speed corridors.
The ministry said the exercise was carried out in coordination with district administrations and police authorities. Major anti-encroachment drives were conducted along the Somnath-Dwarka National Highway, including stretches at Bardiya and from Honest Hotel to Hathi Chowk.
The ministry said unauthorised structures and access points narrow carriageways, obstruct visibility, interfere with drainage systems and increase the risk of accidents by creating unsafe entry and exit points.
It said the removal of encroachments would improve traffic flow, enhance visibility, facilitate emergency response and protect public investment by preserving the designated Right of Way for future highway expansion.
TNT TS
