Pune: State govt has directed all district administrations to remove unauthorised structures and encroachments from the Right of Way (ROW) of national highways within 60 days as part of a road safety drive following Supreme Court directions.In a circular issued on Tuesday, the rural development department instructed district councils, panchayat samitis and gram panchayats to implement SC’s April 13, 2026, directions in a suo motu case on highway safety. The circular imposes an immediate ban on the construction or operation of any new eatery or commercial establishment within the ROW of national highways.Collectors have been told to identify and remove both new and existing unauthorised structures as per provisions of highway laws and the prescribed standard operating procedure. Pune collector Jitendra Dudi said, “The district administration will set up a task force to oversee enforcement. A review will be conducted to ensure the required ROW is maintained across all highway stretches connected to Pune district, and agencies concerned will be told to take necessary action,” he said.Govt has also ordered the formation of a district highway safety task force in every district traversed by a national highway. “The panel will include officials from the district administration, police, NHAI or the land-owning authority concerned, PWD and local bodies. Joint responsibility for timely removal of encroachments has been assigned to district collectors and police chiefs,” a state highway official said.
The task force will hold fortnightly review meetings and maintain records of actions taken. District collectors have been told to constitute the panels within 15 days.The circular further bars any department, authority or local body from granting or renewing licences, NOCs or trade approvals for establishments located within highway safety zones without prior clearance from NHAI or PWD. “Existing licences will be reviewed within 30 days following surveys of affected stretches,” a senior PWD official said.Additionally, the state has been directed to issue notifications within 60 days restricting land-use changes along national highways, in line with Indian Roads Congress norms. The restrictions prohibit change of land use within 40 metres for residential purposes and 75 metres for commercial purposes from the highway midpoint.The circular mandates compliance with both the Supreme Court’s April 13 directions and all other orders issued in the ongoing highway safety case.
