You pay tolls. You pay speed challans. You pay for every inch of road you drive on. But when nature calls on India’s national highways, the National Highways Authority of india (NHAI) has just one message for you: “Hold it in.”
In a country where “Ease of Doing Business” is a slogan, “Ease of Peeing” seems to be an alien concept. kerala High court had to step in and remind NHAI that toilets are not a luxury gift from petrol pumps—it’s the agency’s duty. The reminder came with a stinging personal note: a judge confessed he got slapped with four speed challans while driving a long stretch of NH—and not a single toilet in sight.
This isn’t just bad planning. This is a full-blown highway hypocrisy.
1. Tolls are Everywhere, Toilets are Nowhere
Every few kilometers, you’re stopped to pay tolls. But drive 200 km and you’ll find zero clean public toilets. NHAI ensures money collection, but not basic dignity.
2. Speed Cameras watch You, But Toilets Don’t Exist
Technology has been installed to scan your car, capture your number plate, and fine you instantly. Yet somehow, installing a basic toilet block is “too much.”
3. The petrol Pump Excuse is a Scam
NHAI has long dumped its responsibility on petrol pumps and dhabas. But the kerala HC shredded that argument: toilets are not a commercial favour, they are a civic right.
4. Bladders Don’t Wait for Bureaucracy
Long-distance drivers, women, children—everybody suffers. For women especially, the lack of hygienic toilets isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a public health disaster.
5. Judge’s Mic Drop Moment
When a sitting HC judge publicly says, “I got 4 challans but found no toilets,” it exposes the naked truth: NHAI is quick to fine you, but fails to serve you.
6. Highways of Shame = Tourism Suicide
India wants to promote road trips, tourism, and highway travel. But with filthy or non-existent toilets, the first thing travelers experience is humiliation, not hospitality.
7. The Simple Question: Where Does All The Toll Money Go?
Thousands of crores are collected yearly. If that can fund endless flyovers, shouldn’t at least a fraction be enough for toilets every 25 km?
👉 Bottomline:
India’s highways are being run like cash registers, not public service corridors. Until NHAI is held accountable, drivers will continue to pay with their wallets and their bladders.
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