Stories
NHAI Challenges Rs 7,000 Crore Stray Cattle Shelter Mandate in Supreme Court
- •NHAI informs the Supreme Court that building nationwide stray cattle shelters could cost Rs 7,000 crore, arguing it's not their responsibility.
- •The issue arose after the Supreme Court directed authorities, including NHAI, to remove stray animals from highways to prevent accidents.
- •NHAI contends that local district-level administrations should manage cattle shelters, not a pan-India highway agency.
- •The Supreme Court will form a special bench to hear NHAI's challenge, raising questions about responsibility division and public expenditure.
- •NHAI's core mandate is highway development and maintenance, not animal welfare or shelter management, which typically falls under state and local bodies.
Key Questions Answered
The NHAI told the Supreme Court that establishing and operating a nationwide network of cattle shelters would cost around Rs 7,000 crore. It argued that managing abandoned animals and running shelters falls outside its core mandate of developing and regulating highways, asserting that this responsibility belongs to state and local administrations.
In December 2024, the NHAI launched a pilot project to establish cattle shelters along selected national highway stretches in Haryana and Rajasthan. Under this model, highway developers maintained the shelters during their concession periods, supported by corporate social responsibility initiatives for facilities like animal ambulances.
Countries like the United States and several European nations focus on preventing animals from entering high-speed traffic rather than funding permanent shelters. They utilize infrastructure measures such as fencing, wildlife underpasses, and overpasses to reduce animal-vehicle collisions, especially along roads passing through sensitive habitats.
