Prevention of encroachment.

(1) when as a result of check of highway boundaries made or otherwise, it transpires that an encroachment has taken place on a highway, the Highway Authority or the officer authorised under sub-section (1) of section 21 shall serve a notice on the person responsible for the encroachment or his representative requiring him to remove such encroachment and restore the land to its original conditions before the encroachment within the period specified in the notice.

(2) The notice shall specify the land encroached upon and the time limit within which such encroachment shall be removed and shall also state that failure to comply within the specified period shall render the person liable to prosecution and also to summary eviction.

(3) If the encroachment is not removed within the time limit specified in the notice and no valid cause is shown for non-compliance, the Highway Authority or the authorised officer referred to in sub-section (1) may prosecute such person before the appropriate Magistrate for his having made or caused the encroachment and for his failure to remove it within the specified time.

(4) Where the encroachment is made for the purpose of exposing articles for sale, opening temporary booths for vending or other like purpose of a trivial nature, the Highway Authority or the authorised officer referred to in sub-section (1) may, with the help of the police, if necessary, have such encroachment summarily removed without issuing a notice as required by sub-section (1) or in lieu of removal of the encroachment, may give the person responsible for the encroachment option of executing a lease in favour of the Highway Authority on payment of rent for the area encroached upon.

(5) When the encroachment is of a temporary nature and can easily be removed but is not such as can be described as trivial within the meaning of sub-section (4), the Highway Authority or the authorised officer referred to in sub-section (1) may in addition to or in lieu of prosecuting the person responsible for the encroachment, under sub-section (3), have the encroachment summarily removed with the assistance of the police, if necessary.

(6) Where the encroachment is of such a nature that its immediate removal is considered essential in the interests of safety of traffic on the highway or the safety of any structure forming part of the highway, the Highway Authority or the authorised officer referred to in sub-section (1), may, in addition to prosecution of the person under sub-section (3), either- (i) have such protective work, as may be feasible at a reasonable cost, carried out so as to minimise the danger to traffic on the highway; or (ii) have the encroachment removed with the help of the police, if necessary.