State-run National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday said it has stepped up efforts to remove encroachments and unauthorised parking along national highways as part of measures aimed at improving road safety and traffic movement.The authority said illegal parking, roadside encroachments and unregulated activities on highway stretches continue to pose safety risks for commuters while disrupting the smooth flow of traffic.As part of the drive, NHAI has identified 595 critical locations across states where unauthorised parking has been reported on national highways and mapped these sites using latitude and longitude coordinates. It is coordinating with state governments, district authorities and enforcement agencies to clear such locations.NHAI has also instructed its field offices to immediately audit all Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) installations and ensure key components, including traffic surveillance cameras, video incident detection systems, speed monitoring systems, variable message signboards and emergency call boxes, are functioning properly.The authority said priority is also being given to deploying ambulances and recovery vehicles, strengthening highway patrols, integrating ATMS alerts with enforcement agencies and maintaining safety infrastructure to enable quicker incident response and safer travel on national highways.(With inputs from PTI)