NHAI launches pilot project for real-time stray cattle safety alert

• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched a pilot project for real-time stray cattle safety alert on National Highways to reduce accidents caused by sudden cattle movement.

• The pilot project is being implemented on the Jaipur-Agra and Jaipur-Rewari NH corridors, which have been identified as areas prone to stray cattle movement.

• As part of this initiative, Reliance Jio has upgraded its platform to enable nationwide delivery of these real-time stray cattle safety alerts.

• In December 2025, NHAI signed an MoU with Reliance Jio to introduce a telecom-based safety alert system across the National Highway network.

• The initiative aims to reduce accidents caused by sudden cattle movement on the National Highways, particularly during fog and low-visibility conditions.

• Under the pilot project, location-based alerts will be triggered for the National Highway commuters, providing advance warnings approximately 10 km before identified high-risk stretches. 

• This will provide commuters with some lead time to take precautionary measures.

• During the pilot project, to ensure effective communication with National Highway commuters, safety advisories will be delivered through a flash SMS, followed by a voice alert.

• To prevent alert fatigue, repeat alerts will not be issued to the same user within a 30-minute window.

• The initiative will leverage telecom technology to deliver timely, targeted advisories, thereby improving driver awareness and enhancing safety on National Highways.

• Alerts will be generated based on mapped cattle-prone zones identified from historical accident data and field-level inputs, and delivered via the upgraded telecom infrastructure.

• Based on the outcomes and effectiveness of the pilot, NHAI will evaluate the possibility of scaling up this initiative to other stray cattle-prone zones, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve road safety and enhance user experience on National Highways across the country.