Supreme Court Probes Highway Safety after Fatal Accidents

The Supreme Court has taken suo moto action following fatal road accidents in Rajasthan and Hyderabad, urging the National Highway Authority of India to address highway safety. The Court is focusing on the placement of dhabas and poor road conditions as key issues.

The Supreme Court has stepped in to address growing concerns over highway safety after a series of fatal road accidents in Rajasthan's Phalodi and on the Hyderabad-Bijapur highway. A tragic collision involving a tempo and a stationary truck in Phalodi left 15 dead, while another crash claimed 19 lives in Hyderabad.

In a suo moto notice, the apex court has requested comprehensive reports from the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) regarding the status of highways. It questions the siting of dhabas along national roads and their contribution to unsafe driving conditions due to parked vehicles on the roadside.

Presided over by Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, the bench highlighted deficiencies in road maintenance despite toll collections, citing these as potential causes of the deadly crashes that resulted in a total of 33 casualties within a fortnight. The court has urged immediate action to prevent further loss of life. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)