Road accident in Rajasthan's Phalodi: Supreme Court seeks responses from NHAI, Road Transport Ministry

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its displeasure over the highway dhabas (eateries), operational in an area without having been notified as a facility, while taking up a suo motu matter in respect to an accident in Rajasthan's Phalodi that claimed 15 lives.

A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi issued notices to the National Highways Authority of India and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, noting there were two incidents in two days and lives were lost, and people were injured.

The court sought responses from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the ministry within two weeks on the cause of the accident.

The court also asked them to conduct a survey of the area and file a report on the number of dhabas on the highway passing through Phalodi.

The court also sought a specific report on the condition of the highway and the norms followed by the road contractor for road maintenance in Phalodi.

The bench said the reason for the accident has been explicitly indicated in the news item. The court noted that some of the reasons are that road conditions are not good, though regular tolls are being charged.

The court objected to the dhabas (eateries) operated by the general public along the highways, in an area which is not available for such eateries.

The bench said that as a consequence, the vehicles go and park there, and the other vehicles are not in a position to see standing vehicles on the road, and as a result, they collide with such vehicles.

The court felt in such circumstances, it is essential to ask the National Highway Authority of India, Ministry of Road, Highways, and Transport, to submit a report in connection with the highways on which the accidents occurred.

The bench also sought information, after a survey, on how many eateries are operational on the bank of the road in an area which is not notified for the facility area.

The court said the report may also be submitted regarding the road conditions and the norms followed by the contractors during the period of maintenance. It said, that the Ministry of Home Affairs should also be joined as a party in the matter and notice should be issued to it, and also chief secretaries of the states, wherever this highway touches, should be made part of the matter.

The amicus curiae in the case suggested that the court should consider making it a pan-India matter. The bench, however, said first it wants to see the report it has sought from the government, and, in the meantime, the amicus can submit his report.

Recently, the court took suo motu cognisance of the November 2 road accident in Phalodi, in which 10 women and four children died when a tempo traveller rammed into a stationary trailer truck.

The incident occurred near Matoda village on the Bharat Mala Highway when the tempo traveller was going from Bikaner's Kolayat temple to Jodhpur.