Cattle shelters to be built along highways: NHAI

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Tuesday 24 Dec announced a pilot project to set up cattle shelters along the national highways to reduce accidents caused due to stray cattle. The first such shelter will be built along the Kharkhoda Bypass on the Uttar Pradesh/Haryana Border to Rohna on NH-334B. Similar shelters will come up along Bhiwani-Hansi section of NH-148B at Hansi Bypass, the Kiratpur-Nerchowk section of NH-21 and the Dangiyawas to Jajiwal section of the Jodhpur Ring Road on NH-112.

Under this initiative, private contractors managing these stretches will build and maintain these shelters on land provided by NHAI. The contractors will also arrange first aid, adequate fodder, water, and caretakers to ensure the well-being of animals. For this, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by NHAI and Gawar Construction Ltd, the existing concessionaire on Tuesday.

NHAI in a statement said the concessionaire will also ensure safe transportation of stray cattle to these facilities, provide feed and enforce the provisions of the Cattle Trespass Act, 1871. The concessionaire under its CSR initiative will deploy cattle ambulances to transport and treat injured stray animals, setup first-aid centres and hospitals