Dehradun: Less than a month after the inauguration of the Delhi-Dehradun expressway, commuters have raised serious concerns about animal safety, with carcasses spotted daily along the 200-kilometer stretch. A commuter who recently traveled by bus reported seeing 18 dead dogs pushed to the side of a crash barrier, along with two to three other unidentified animals. "This was just on one side; imagine the situation on the other side," the commuter said, also posting about the issue on social media.
A Times of India team's visit along the stretch a few days ago revealed at least 13 dead dogs, cats, mongoose, and carcasses of some unidentified animals. Accounts of larger animals such as deer, foxes, and cattle being found dead on the busy expressway have also emerged.
Immediate Action Needed
Drona Gulati, owner of a prominent bakery in Dehradun, termed the situation a serious problem, stating that he saw at least 20 dead dogs during a recent trip. "NHAI needs to take immediate action and work with the forest department and local units to prevent this. Dead baby monkeys have also been seen near the Ganeshpur area. What's worse is that the carcasses are not being removed, and in some cases, vehicles keep speeding over them," Gulati said.
The expressway, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14, has reduced travel time between Delhi and Dehradun to around 2.5 hours. However, this reduced time comes with high-speed traffic, especially at night, according to many commuters.
High Speeds and Animal Crossings
"People are bound to speed on an expressway with a 100 km/h limit. That said, we often travel by road to Kerala but haven't spotted as many animal carcasses along that 3,000-kilometer route as we have on this 200-kilometer stretch," said Ajay Govind, a Dehradun-based filmmaker. "We must have seen at least eight to ten carcasses, mostly dogs, in our recent journey from Delhi to Dehradun. These daily death numbers are staggering and speak about a larger problem that requires immediate intervention," he added.
Mahesh Kumar, a local resident near the Katha toll plaza at Baghpat, noted that until about six months ago, animals moved freely in the area. "The animals are still crossing at their old familiar spots, but they are encountering speeding vehicles and have no way to learn quickly enough how to avoid them," he said.
Drivers plying regularly on the route echoed similar concerns, with some claiming that the animal deaths are more unusual than what they have observed on any other highway in recent times. "Yes, this is a huge safety concern for animals as well as commuters, because eventually someone would stop to help an animal that has been hit, leaving them vulnerable to other oncoming traffic. There has to be accountability," said Gauri Maulekhi, an animal welfare strategist.
NHAI's Response
Meanwhile, NHAI officials said they are aware of the issue. "We have crash barriers in place along the route, but small animals are still getting through. Larger animals are getting on from the interchange link roads along the expressway. In the next few days, our toll plazas will go live. Once that happens and human presence increases along with vehicles slowing down, these accidents will be prevented," said Narendra Singh, NHAI project director for Baghpat.
Saurabh Singh, NHAI project director for Dehradun, added, "Due to the Dehradun section of the expressway being elevated, animal accidents remain minimal. However, we are dealing with waste dumping at certain sections of the road, for which our cleanup crews are already making multiple rounds. Heavy, overloaded vehicles are also contributing to the problem. But public feedback and concerns are being noted, and redressal measures are being taken accordingly."
