Archive · 20 Aug 2026
Kerala to Challenge Supreme Court Highway Construction Curbs
The Supreme Court has set limits on building near national highways.
Homes would need to stay 40 metres away from the highway centre line.
Shops and other businesses would need to stay 75 metres away.
The court introduced the rules to help make highways safer after a deadly road accident.
Kerala says these rules would be especially difficult there because many people live in a small area.
The state also says vehicles can already enter highways only at certain places.
Kerala plans to explain these concerns directly to the Supreme Court.
It says many homes, businesses, and highway projects could be affected.
Kerala plans to approach the Supreme Court against restrictions on construction near national highways.
The order bars residential construction within 40 metres and commercial construction within 75 metres of highway centre lines.
Kerala says the restrictions are impractical because of its high population density and limited land.
The state argues that controlled highway entry and exit already address the accident risks cited by the court.
The restrictions could affect hundreds of acres, thousands of properties, and ongoing National Highway 66 projects.
- Who
- The Kerala government, led on this issue by Public Works Minister P.K. Basheer, plans to petition the Supreme Court.
- What
- Kerala will challenge restrictions on residential and commercial construction along national highways.
- When
- The minister announced the plan on Thursday, following a recent Supreme Court order.
- Where
- The restrictions apply along national highways, including National Highway 66 across Kerala.
- Why
- Kerala says the rules are impractical in its densely populated, land-scarce geography and argues that highway access is already controlled for safety.
Kerala's objections
Supreme Court's safety rationale
Uniform construction setbacks
Kerala's objections
Kerala says leaving such large stretches vacant is impractical in a densely populated state with limited land and could harm property owners.
Supreme Court's safety rationale
The Supreme Court's order requires substantial setbacks to regulate development and access along national highways.
Applicability to Kerala
Kerala's objections
Kerala argues that the accident risks behind the case do not arise in the same way because highway entry and exit are restricted to designated points.
Supreme Court's safety rationale
The court issued the directions after a road accident in which vehicles could reportedly access the highway from several points along a service road.
Effect on infrastructure
Kerala's objections
Kerala says the order could affect National Highway 66 six-laning and projects recommended by the National Highways Authority of India.
Supreme Court's safety rationale
The restrictions are intended to prioritize highway safety, including controlled access and space for service roads.
- Residential setback
- No residential construction within 40 metres on either side of a national highway centre line.
- Commercial setback
- No commercial construction within 75 metres on either side of a national highway centre line.
- Additional land
- The order also envisages keeping more land vacant for service roads and adjoining areas.
- Kerala's concern
- The state says hundreds of acres, thousands of homes, and commercial establishments could be affected from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram.
- Safety rationale
- The Supreme Court issued the directions in a suo motu case after a deadly road accident in North India.
- Highway project
- Six-laning work on National Highway 66 is progressing across Kerala.