The Control of National Highways (Land & Traffic) Act, 2002 has empowered the NH officers to take action against encroachments but still there are lots of encroachments on NH land. It is therefore requested that field units may be adequately sensitized to prevent encroachments on National Highways and launch periodical drives to remove all sorts of encroachments from NH land.

Agencies that applied earlier for the Scheme of Financial Assistance for administering Road Safety through the online Portal of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway were not selected for the activity mostly because of non-compliance with any one of the following reasons. Hence, applicants must ensure that these points are also taken into consideration while submitting the applications.

For laying underground OFC/Telecom cables in NH RoW, the need for putting applications in the public domain is dispensed with. Hence applications for OFC/Telecom cables are to be processed expeditiously and approval must be given within 30 days.

The undersigned is directed to refer to the guidelines for the "scheme of Financial Assistance for Administering Road Safety Advocacy and Awards for the Outstanding Work done in the field of Road safety" and issue amendment in Para 6(ii) of the above-said guidelines as following:

I am directed to say that the combined efforts of the Central and State Governments have improved road connectivity in the country considerably. However, Road Safety is still a major cause of concern; last year, there were 1.5 lakhs deaths due to road accidents, and many more suffered debilitating injuries. This has caused immense economic & financial hardship and emotional trauma to the affected families. There is an urgent need to make our roads safer because the loss of lives and limbs cannot be accepted as an inevitable consequence of mobility.