Chennai: Every year at least 40 people from Chennai and surrounding areas killed in an accident on the road involving wild animals.
More than 100 people were injured in the accident every year, according to official data.
This figure has increased by 30% by 2021 as a wild threat of animals becomes more rampant, especially with cattle and dogs at night along the highway.
This is because it is usually the grazing field near the lake or riverbed full of rainwater and the owner’s livestock let them sit on the streets.
Often seen in the middle of the main streets, wild animals have caused traffic congestion often too.
R Sadish, a resident in Omr, said, “Suddenly, ran a dog across the road in front of my car.
I lost c o n t r o l a n d crashed into a barricade.
” He and his family suffered severe injuries and had to spend three weeks in the hospital, besides spending `80,000 against vehicles R e p a r i wo rk.
Many OMR residents complained about dogs chasing them during the night and cows blocking the vehicle.
In another case, V Sudarshan from Avadi met with an accident along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) last year.
“Some parts of the newly built stretch are burned in the middle of poor visibility; Wild livestock ran to my bicycle before I could see or react.
” Legal experts show that the real number can be much higher because the police did not register all the cases under the right head.
R Sreenivasan, Jalan Safety Advocate, said that in most cases, the police did not register an accident under the IPC part 289.
Instead, they recorded it as a negligent case or driving rash (section 337 and 338).
To overcome this threat, the police have warned that cow owners will be sent to prison for three years and were sentenced to RS.50,000 under Tamil Nadu Animal and Birds in the urban area Act, 1997.