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The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned why the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has not put in place an electronic surveillance system to detect and immediately track vehicles found parked or stationary on highways, amid concerns over accidents caused by such vehicles.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Augustine George Masih and Sandeep Mehta raised the issue after amicus curiae ANS Nadkarni referred to recent road accidents involving vehicles parked on highways. The bench observed that NHAI, which has got all the resources, should explore a technology-based mechanism to identify such vehicles and facilitate immediate action. Why cant 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 asked. The observation came during the hearing of a suo motu case arising from the November 2025 Phalodi road accident in Rajasthan, in which 15 people were killed after a tempo traveller collided with a stationary trailer truck on the Bharat Mala Highway. The apex court was informed that NHAI already undertakes patrolling on highways to check unauthorised parking. The bench posted the case for October 13 and said it would consider applications relating to removal of encroachments from highways. The apex court had earlier directed that heavy and commercial vehicles shall not park or stop on national highway carriageways or paved shoulders except at designated bays, lay-bys or wayside amenities. It had also directed the Centre and NHAI to identify accident blackspots and critical areas on national highways. The top court had noted that national highways constitute only around two per cent of Indias total road length but account for nearly 30 per cent of road fatalities. (ANI)
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