Expressing concern over encroachments on national and state highways, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday directed the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) to form multiple teams for frequent and regular inspections of roads to identify and address unauthorised occupations, reported PTI.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih also instructed the ministry to establish an online portal where citizens can report and upload photographs of highway encroachments. Additionally, the bench ordered the Centre to widely publicise the portal and set up a toll-free number for citizens to report such encroachments and unauthorised occupations.