Reported by Mrinal Banik
Agartala: Road accident fatalities in Tripura have fallen in recent years, with 134 people killed in road crashes till August this year, Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a road safety awareness and sensitisation programme at the State Guest House, Chowdhury said the State recorded 577 road accidents and 261 deaths in 2023. In 2024, there were 578 accidents and 226 deaths, while the figures fell to 527 accidents and 157 deaths in 2025.
The minister attributed the decline in fatalities to coordinated efforts by the Transport and Police departments, regular enforcement drives and monitoring of road safety measures.
He said the government was also focusing on ensuring timely assistance to people injured or otherwise affected by road accidents through various schemes.
Chowdhury explained the Rah Veer, PM RAHAT and hit-and-run compensation schemes and urged elected representatives and administrative officials to raise public awareness about the assistance available under them.
The Rah Veer scheme, formerly known as the Good Samaritan scheme, provides a reward of Rs 25,000 to a person who takes an injured accident victim to a hospital during the golden hour. It also provides protection from unnecessary police harassment, subject to applicable rules, the minister said.
Eleven people were recognised under the scheme in 2025 and seven so far this year. Chowdhury noted that the number remained low compared with the number of road accidents.
According to figures shared by the minister, 413 road accidents were reported in Tripura in July and August alone this year, underscoring the need for greater awareness about the scheme.
Under PM RAHAT, eligible road accident victims can avail themselves of cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh at designated hospitals. Chowdhury said 336 people in Tripura had benefited from the scheme so far, with assistance of around Rs 6.16 lakh provided.
For hit-and-run cases, the applicable rules provide compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the family of a person killed and up to Rs 50,000 for those injured, he said.
The minister urged panchayat samiti chairpersons, zilla parishad members and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of urban local bodies to inform residents in their respective areas about the schemes.
He also called for continued training and awareness programmes for elected representatives and officials, saying road safety initiatives should not be limited to an annual programme.
Chowdhury said reducing road accident fatalities and ensuring timely assistance to victims would require closer coordination among the Transport, Police and Health departments, district administrations and elected representatives.