NHAI begins demolishing encroachments on service lanes of Chennai-Bengaluru Highway in Vellore

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has commenced demolishing encroachments on a narrow service lane of Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway (NH-48) near the Collectorate in Sathuvachari on Thursday to restore the original width of the stretch for smooth flow of traffic and prevent accidents.

NHAI officials said that the existing service lanes have become narrow due to the extension of shops, roadside eateries and other commercial establishments. As a result, vehicles including government buses and ambulances struggle to navigate the congested stretch, especially during rush hour. “The drive has been done after repeated complaints from motorists and pedestrians of traffic chaos on service lanes due to encroachments. The demolition work will be completed in a week,” a NHAI official told The Hindu.

At present, only government town buses are allowed to use service lanes, mainly to allow local commuters to board buses safely. Private company vehicles, lorries, trucks and tractors were not allowed to use these lanes. “Such demolition of encroachments should be done at regular intervals to ensure safety of motorists. The demolition drive is a welcome measure,” said R. Divya, a motorist.

NHAI officials said that encroachments on the stretch towards Chennai are being demolished in the first phase of the drive. The original width of the service lane is seven metres. Shopkeepers have extended their outlets up to 1.5 metres width of the carriageway. It has resulted in traffic congestion with government buses getting stuck on the stretch for longer duration.

NHAI had issued notices to shopkeepers and other commercial establishments on the route a fortnight ago to remove extension of the outlet voluntarily. Many shop owners have removed such protruding steel beams and roof tops on their own.

From Thursday onwards, NHAI has started to demolish concrete structures including pillars and metal roof tops that were not removed by shop owners. Many encroachments were also erected on the closed storm water drains on the stretch. Such structures are also being demolished. The drive will be done to a distance of at least two kms on the route to allow buses to navigate safely and climb the carriageway of NH-48 much easier.

NHAI officials said that a storm water drain, which is three feet wide and four feet deep, on the stretch will help to provide more road space for users as pedestrians can use it as a footpath with remaining carriageway space for motorists. The concrete drains have been levelled to the height of the road level to provide more space for motorists.