Bhubaneswar: Reaffirming its commitment to building safer, smarter, and more humane roads, Odisha has taken a decisive step towards addressing the challenge of stray cattle on highways and roads.
A high-level meeting chaired by Principal Secretary, Commerce & Transport Department, Usha Padhee, was convened today to chart out an integrated action plan aimed at protecting both human lives and animal welfare while enhancing road safety across the state.
Stray cattle on roads have become a major safety concern, contributing significantly to accidents and fatalities.
In Odisha alone, road crash data reveals the magnitude of the challenge: in 2022, 952 accidents and 521 deaths were reported; in 2023, 1,168 accidents and 643 deaths; and in 2024, 903 accidents and 437 deaths were attributed to animal-vehicle collisions.
Also, from the year 2022 to 2025(August) 331 animals were killed due to collision with vehicles. These figures underline the urgent need for coordinated action.
The meeting focused on a mission-mode strategy linking identified NHAI stretches with nearby Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to ensure fencing, cattle-control, and sheltering through existing and new Goshalas.
Discussions emphasized the identification of accident-prone stretches along highways with stray animal presence, strengthening of existing goshalas, and creating service-oriented partnerships with NGOs with support from the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (FARD) Department.
It was also decided to implement fencing along selected stretches and establish controlled cattle crossing systems, supported by mission branding and information systems to foster public awareness and accountability.
Speaking on the occasion, Padhee emphasized that stray cattle on roads are not only a civic issue but also a life-threatening hazard, and Odisha is committed to a coordinated, humane, and technology-enabled approach that ensures safety for commuters and dignity for animals.
This initiative marks a first-of-its-kind integrated model, combining engineering measures such as fencing, signage, and cattle grids, enforcement through impounding and penalties, healthcare support through mobile veterinary units, and institutional mechanisms to make Odisha’s roads safer for all.
The meeting was attended by Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, Arindam Dakua, Director Municipal Administration, HUD Department, Vijay Amruta Kulange, Director, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, representatives from NHAI and Odisha Police.
