Ahmedabad: A number of owners of restaurants, hotels and other commercial establishments along National Highway-48 in south Gujarat are moving Gujarat High Court to stop demolitions by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).Over the past three weeks, several property owners approached the high court after bulldozers were deployed outside their establishments, seeking urgent interim protection mainly to buy time to move Supreme Court. The petitions follow demolition notices issued by NHAI, largely in July, to businesses in Valsad, Navsari and Surat districts.NHAI has labelled the properties encroachments and ordered their removal, citing a Supreme Court order in a suo motu road-safety case triggered by the fatal Phalodi accident in Rajasthan in Nov 2025. On April 13, the apex court issued directions to improve highway safety, noting that national highways account for only 2% of the country’s road network but nearly 30% of road fatalities, including a requirement to remove encroachments within a stipulated period.Petitioners told the high court they are not encroachers but lawful landowners whose buildings were raised after approvals from competent authorities. They argued their establishments are at the prescribed distance from the road line and cannot be treated as encroachments.They also said they were seeking temporary protection from demolition to approach the Supreme Court for clarification on whether legally sanctioned properties could be classified as encroachments under its directions.Opposing the pleas, NHAI said the owners failed to respond despite notices and that the authorities “are complying with the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court and, therefore, they may be permitted to proceed further with the demolition.” NHAI also submitted that “any noncompliance with the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court may be construed as a contemptuous action.”The drive began on Sept 2, with demolitions reported even as one of the first batches of petitions was being heard. The high court then ordered NHAI to maintain status quo until petitioners could move the Supreme Court. Petitioners’ counsel said the apex court subsequently ordered status quo in those cases until it examines the issue. More notice recipients are continuing to approach the high court seeking urgent relief against impending demolitions.
