Haryana Panel to Decide Aid in Accidents Due to Stray Animals | 17 Jan 2024

Why in News?

According to Haryana chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, the state government was taking significant steps to address accidents/incidents caused by stray animals.

Key Points

• A committee, chaired by the deputy commissioner, in all districts has been established to determine compensation in such cases, with decisions expected within four months of claim submission.
• The committee 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.
  • 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 (National Highways Authority of India), who must disburse compensation to the claimant within six weeks.
• Stray animals, for the purpose of compensation, encompass animals like cows, bulls, dogs, donkeys, nilgai and buffaloes.
• The Chandigarh high court has specified compensation amounts, such as Rs 10,000 for a dog’s bite and a minimum of Rs 20,000 for injuries caused by a dog bite.
• ‘Deen Dayal Antyodaya Parivar Suraksha Yojana’ was already in operation to provide compensation for such accidents.