Highway Havoc: Legal Scrutiny Over Indore-Dewas Traffic Chaos

The Madhya Pradesh High Court is seeking responses from the government and NHAI regarding a significant traffic jam on the Indore-Dewas section of the Agra-Mumbai Highway. The court demands solutions for the road construction, ensuring accountability after recent chaos disrupted travel for 50 hours, causing substantial inconvenience.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday demanded answers from the Union government and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) following a recent traffic debacle on the Indore-Dewas stretch of the Agra-Mumbai National Highway. The action was prompted by a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the chaos.

Justices Vivek Rusia and Binod Kumar Dwivedi, part of the Indore bench, have issued official notices to the Centre, NHAI, as well as Indore's local administration and police, based on a petition by Dewas lawyer Anand Adhikari. Respondents have been instructed to respond within a week.

Additionally, the Court ordered the inclusion of a private construction firm involved in the highway project as a respondent. An interim traffic route diversion for heavy vehicles will remain in effect until further notice, while calls for stringent construction oversight are being made to ensure accountability and prevent future disruptions.

(With inputs from agencies.)