3 min readAug 11, 2026 04:42 PM IST
First published on: Aug 10, 2026 at 07:56 PM IST
In a crackdown against all unauthorised structures within the Right of Way (ROW) on any National Highway, the Maharashtra government on Monday asked all urban local bodies in the state to demolish and remove all new or existing unlicensed structures within 60 days. The order also prohibits the construction of any dhaba, eatery or a commertial structure on the ROW, which is the total strip of land acquired and reserved by the government.
Update: Maharashtra’s 60-day ultimatum to demolish, ban dhabas, hotels on National Highways explained
Based on the directions given by the Supreme Court on April 13, 2026, in a suo moto writ petition in Phalodi Accident versus National Highways Authority of India, all municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats have been ordered in the state to ‘strictly comply’ with the directions.
What do the directions say?
The directions read: “Construction/operation of any new dhaba, eatery, or commercial structure within the Right of Way (ROW) of any National Highway is prohibited with immediate effect. District Magistrates shall enforce demolition/removal of all new or existing unauthorised structures within 60 days.”
It further added that no department, authority, or local body shall grant or renew any licence, NOC, or trade approval for any site within the highway safety zones without prior clearance by NHAI/PWD, and all existing licences for such sites shall be reviewed within 30 days.
A district highway safety task force will also be created in every district that has a National Highway passing through.
The district collector will form the district highway safety task force comprising officers of the district administration, police, NHAI (or concerned land-owning agency), PWD, and local bodies.
The responsibility to regularly remove the encroachment lies with the District Collector and the Commissioner of Police/Superintendent of Police.
What the Supreme Court said in its order
The Supreme Court, in its order, told the state government to prohibit within 60 days the land-use changes within 40 meters (residential) and 75 meters (commercial) from the mid-point of any National Highway.
In November 2025, at least 15 people were killed, and two were injured when a tempo collided with a parked truck on the Bharat Mala Highway in Rajasthan’s Phalodi district. The truck was reportedly parked in front of an eatery, and the tempo was trying to overtake another vehicle when it collided with the truck parked on the side of the road.
In its road-safety framework, the Supreme Court bench also barred heavy and commercial vehicles from stopping on National Highway carriageways (Image generated using Gemini) 
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