Parl panel concerned over accidents on highways due to stray cattle

New Delhi, July 29 A Parliamentary Standing Committee has expressed concern over accidents on national highways due to stray cattle and animals and noted that provisions for fencing or boundary wall to prevent animals are planned for such spots where accidents are frequent.

"There should be some mechanism to monitor the frequency of incidents of wildlife/ cattle straying on roads even when the same has not caused any fatal accident yet, and proactive steps may be taken to curb the same," the committee on transport, tourism and culture said in its recent report on national highways.

"Necessary action may be taken to coordinate with local law enforcement or concerned agencies to impose a penalty on cattle/animal-rearers for letting out their animals on National Highways," the report asserted.

The committee notes that special corridors for the movement of wildlife/cattle, if required, is envisioned by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways at the DPR stage itself and in case certain specific locations develop into black spots due to repeated incidents, fencing/boundary wall is planned for rectification of the spots.

"Provisions already exist for imposing fines for parking outside the designated areas on national highways but the ground reality points to the lack of proper implementation of the same. Trucks and vehicles parked on ill-lit highways at night time cause severe accidents and as such, tackling this problem should be a matter of high priority," the report said.

The panel recommends that the ministry or the National Highways Authority of India "may take a serious look into the issue of encroachment of service roads by local markets and create an effective policy in order to curb the same, which may be implemented in coordination with concerned agencies".

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