The Madhya Pradesh High Court has taken action on a pressing public safety concern by issuing notices to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the state government. This follows a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that highlights the deteriorating condition of certain sections of national highways in the state and the hazard posed by cattle on these roads. The PIL was filed by Jabalpur lawyer Pranjal Tiwari and heard by a division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf.
The highways in question, NH-43 connecting Jabalpur to Gwalior via Sagar, and NH-45 from Jabalpur to Bhopal, have been reported to suffer from lack of maintenance, despite the collection of tolls from users. According to Pramod Singh Tomar, counsel for Tiwari, the road conditions include numerous potholes and frequent obstructions caused by cattle, leading to accidents and impeding the flow of traffic.
The petitioner has also referenced various news reports that corroborate the issues raised in the PIL, underscoring the urgency and relevance of the concerns to public safety and infrastructure management. The court has scheduled a further hearing on September 26, where the NHAI and the state government will be expected to respond to the issues outlined in the PIL and present their plans for remediation.
