Jodhpur: The Rajasthan High Court has directed the State govt to remove or relocate all encroachments falling within the Right of Way (RoW) of National Highways across the state within two months, holding that unsafe roadside structures pose a direct threat to human life and cannot be regularised under any circumstances.A division bench of Justices Pushpendra Singh Bhati and Sandeep Shah, in its order pronounced Thursday, issued the directions while hearing a petition concerning a weighbridge located near a highway in Jodhpur. The directions were triggered by a recent accident near the weighbridge that resulted in four deaths. While linking safe movement on roads to the right to life under Article 21, the court termed it a constitutional obligation on the state to eliminate hazardous conditions.While granting the weighbridge operator time until March 6 to voluntarily relocate the structure, the court expanded the scope of the matter after material placed on record revealed a widespread and systemic pattern of occupations within highway safety zones across several districts.Directing a time-bound implementation of its directives, the court ordered the removal or suitable relocation of all structures within the prohibited RoW after due demarcation, issuance of notice and an opportunity of hearing.
