Supreme Court asks NHAI to consider setting up CCTV, monitoring rooms at toll booths

Representative image. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh

The Supreme Court on Thursday (September 3, 2026) expressed concern over encroachments and stationary vehicles on highways and asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to consider setting up camera surveillance systems and monitoring rooms at toll booths to address such hazards.

Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta were hearing a suo motu case initiated in the wake of two fatal road accidents in November 2025 in Rajasthan’s Phalodi and Telangana’s Rangareddy districts that claimed a total of 34 lives. In April, in a spate of directions, the Supreme Court ruled that the safety of highway users forms an integral part of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution and that the state has a positive duty to prevent preventable deaths caused by hazards such as illegal parking and accident-prone “black spots”.

Circulars issued by: NHAI

The NHAI counsel told the Bench that circulars have been issued requiring regular inspections and highway patrols to curb unauthorized parking.

However, the Bench suggested using technology for more effective monitoring. “Why don’t you think of having a camera surveillance system? You can have monitoring rooms at all the toll plazas,” Bench said.

Senior advocate ANS Nadkarni, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, said vehicles parked illegally along highways remain a major safety concern and are a recurring cause of road accidents.

During the hearing, the commission was also informed that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Tamil Nadu are yet to file compliance affidavits.

Two weeks time

The court gave the two ministries two weeks to file affidavits and directed the Tamil Nadu government to place its reply on record before the next hearing. The matter will be discussed further on October 6.

In April, the Supreme Court ordered district magistrates to ensure the removal or demolition of all existing and newly detected unauthorized structures in highway safety zones within 60 days. It also prohibited government departments, authorities and local bodies from granting or renewing licences, no-objection certificates or business permits for sites in such zones without prior permission from NHAI or the concerned public works department.

The court further ordered the setting up of a District Road Safety Authority in each district to oversee compliance with its guidelines.

The suo motu drive followed two accidents on consecutive days in November 2025. On November 2, a speeding passenger carrying pilgrims from Jodhpur rammed into a truck parked at a restaurant along the Bharatmala highway in Phalodi, killing 15 people, including women and children.

A day later, 19 people, including a three-month-old baby girl, were killed in Rangareddy district when a truck collided head-on with a bus on National Highway 163 while trying to avoid a pothole.

Published – 03 Sep 2026 23:22 IST