Kerala DGP apprises SC of drive to clear NH encroachments, bids to fix black spots

New Delhi: Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Ravada Chandrasekhar has informed the Supreme Court that district police chiefs have been directed to remove unauthorised constructions and encroachments along National Highways passing through the state.

The DGP said the eviction drive is being carried out in coordination with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Public Works Department (PWD), Revenue Department and local self-government institutions. In an action-taken report filed before the Supreme Court, the state police chief also said that black spots on National Highways in Kerala have been identified.

Unauthorised shops, temporary structures, large advertising hoardings, autorickshaw stands and bus shelters along the highways are being removed in the presence of police, the DGP informed the court. Officers have also been strictly instructed to immediately report to the concerned authorities any new roadside stalls or constructions found along national highways.

The DGP further stated that licences or trade permissions for establishments located within highway safety zones will not be renewed without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the NHAI or PWD.

According to the action-taken report, the police have specifically identified accident-prone areas and intensified surveillance in these locations. The major black spots mentioned in the report include Kallumthazham and Mangad in Kollam city, Kallukuzhi, Manakkala, Pootode and Thatta in Pathanamthitta, various locations along NH-544 and NH-66 in Thrissur and Thottappankulam, Kainatty, Lakkidi, Old Vythiri, Meenangadi 54th Mile Junction and Variyad in Wayanad. Five major accident-prone locations in Kannur Rural have also been included in the list.

The Supreme Court had issued around a dozen directions in a suo motu case aimed at reducing road accidents on national highways.