Ranchi, Nov 5 — The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday expressed serious concern over road safety risks posed by stray dogs and cattle on roads and National Highways in the state.
The court sought responses from both the Centre and the state governments after it took suo motu cognisance of the issue.
It directed the authorities to submit a compliance report at the earliest.
The next hearing in the matter has been fixed for December 3.
During the hearing on Thursday, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) submitted a status report outlining measures taken to improve road safety across nearly 3,500 km of highways in the state.
According to the report, 34 accident-prone locations have been identified, while fencing has been installed along approximately 325 km of highway stretches.
The authority also informed the court that illegal road cuts have been closed and round-the-clock highway patrol vehicles have been deployed to enhance safety.
However, the NHAI stated that several crucial proposals and coordination-related matters remain pending due to inadequate support from the state government.
It stressed the need for better coordination among various departments to prevent the movement of stray cattle on highways and strengthen road safety measures.
The issue of controlling the stray dog population also figured prominently during the proceedings.
The court was informed that only seven of Jharkhand's 24 districts currently have functional Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres.
The state government said that more than 14,000 stray dogs had been sterilised and vaccinated over the past six months.
It also informed the court that urban local bodies had initiated the process of identifying designated feeding zones for dogs in municipal wards.
The High Court directed the agencies and government departments concerned to ensure effective implementation of measures aimed at addressing both issues.
The presence of stray animals on roads has long been cited as a major threat to the safety of motorists and pedestrians.
The court indicated that it would closely monitor the progress of government efforts to resolve the problem and improve road safety across the state.