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NHAI Plans Penalties and Shelters to Curb Highway Cattle
The government wants to stop cattle from wandering onto busy highways.
Stray animals can cause crashes that hurt people, damage vehicles, and kill cattle.
Officials say many owners leave their cattle free to graze.
Green plants in highway medians can also attract the animals.
A special tag may help officials find the owners.
Roads where cattle often appear will receive warning markings.
Officials will take wandering cattle to shelters.
Owners will have to pay a penalty to get their cattle back.
NHAI and central and state road departments are introducing measures to prevent accidents caused by stray cattle on highways and expressways in erstwhile Nalgonda district.
A special tag will be used to identify cattle owners, who may face heavy penalties when their animals stray onto roads.
A reported 385 cattle died in road accidents during 2025–206 across Nalgonda, Yadadri-Bhongir, and Suryapet districts.
Authorities will mark roads with frequent stray-cattle movement to warn motorists.
Stray cattle will be moved to government or local cattle shelters, and owners must pay penalties under the Cattle Trespass Act of 1871 to reclaim them.
- Who
- The National Highways Authority of India, central and state road departments, cattle owners, and local authorities are involved.
- What
- Authorities are implementing a standard operating procedure to identify owners, penalize them, warn motorists, and move stray cattle to shelters.
- Where
- National highways, expressways, and state highways in erstwhile Nalgonda district, including areas around Nalgonda, Yadadri-Bhongir, and Suryapet in Telangana.
- When
- The measures are being taken now; 385 cattle deaths were reported during 2025–206.
- Why
- To prevent road accidents caused by cattle left free to graze or attracted by greenery on highway medians.
Key facts
- Lead agency
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
- Main location
- Erstwhile Nalgonda district, Telangana
- Reported cattle deaths
- 385 during 2025–206
- District breakdown
- 153 in Nalgonda, 103 in Yadadri-Bhongir, and 129 in Suryapet
- Identification method
- Special tags to identify cattle owners
- Enforcement
- Owners may face heavy penalties and must pay to reclaim cattle
- Legal basis
- Cattle Trespass Act of 1871
Sources
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