Panel formed to determine aid in accidents caused by stray animals

The Chief Secretary of Haryana, Sanjeev Kaushal, announced that the state government is taking substantial measures to tackle accidents or incidents caused by stray animals. He mentioned the establishment of committees in all districts, chaired by the deputy commissioner, to assess and decide on compensation in such cases. Kaushal, presiding over a meeting on the implementation of a Punjab and Haryana High Court order, stated that decisions on compensation claims are anticipated within four months of submission.
The chief secretary also outlined the committee’s composition, which includes members such as the superintendent of police or deputy superintendent of police (traffic), sub-divisional magistrate, and a representative of the chief medical officer.

Depending on the location and nature of the accident, specific officials like the DDPO for the panchayat areas, the DFO for incidents involving wild animals, an executive engineer of the PWD B&R for the state road accidents, and the additional commissioner or the municipal secretary for the municipal areas, will be part of the committee, he informed.
If the accident happens on the national highways, the project director/nominee of the commissionaire will be its member, Kaushal added.

The committee will adhere to the guidelines and standards of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, while deciding on compensation for such cases. The decision will be forwarded to the principal secretary of the department concerned or the project director of the NHAI, who must disburse compensation to the claimant within six weeks, he said.

Highlighting state government’s proactive approach, Kaushal emphasised that ‘Deen Dayal Antyodaya Parivar Suraksha Yojana’ was already in operation to provide compensation for such accidents. He directed the officials concerned for implementation of appropriate amendments to align with the high court’s order.

Haryana constitutes committee to determine compensation for accidents caused by stray animals, Haryana government forms committees in all districts to determine compensation for accidents caused by stray animals.

The committees include officials such as Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and Chief Medical Officer. Compensation will be decided based on the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, and disbursed within six weeks.