Agartala, 22nd September 2026 : Tripura has witnessed a steady decline in road accident fatalities over the past three years, with the state recording 157 deaths in 2025 compared to 226 in 2024 and 261 in 2023. According to figures placed by Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Tuesday, 134 people have died in road accidents in the state up to August this year.
The Minister attributed the downward trend to joint efforts by the Transport and Police departments, intensified enforcement and closer monitoring of road-safety regulations.
Speaking at a Road Safety Awareness and Sensitization Programme at the State Guest House here, Chowdhury said the focus should now extend beyond preventing accidents to ensuring that victims and those who assist them are able to access government support without delay.
He highlighted three major assistance mechanisms—Rahaveer, PM RAHAT and the Hit-and-Run compensation scheme—and urged elected representatives and government officials to spread awareness about their provisions at the grassroots level.
Under the Rahaveer scheme, formerly known as the Good Samaritan scheme, a person who takes an accident victim to a hospital during the critical “golden hour” can receive a reward of Rs 25,000, besides protection from police harassment under the applicable provisions. Chowdhury said 11 people were recognised under the scheme in 2025 and seven so far in 2026.
The Minister, however, expressed concern that participation remained low in comparison with the number of accidents. He noted that 413 road accidents had already been reported during July and August 2026 alone.
Explaining PM RAHAT, Chowdhury said eligible road accident victims can avail themselves of cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh at designated hospitals. In Tripura, 336 beneficiaries have received assistance under the scheme, involving around Rs 6.16 lakh, he said.
He also pointed to compensation available in hit-and-run cases, including Rs 2 lakh in the event of death and Rs 50,000 for injuries, subject to prescribed rules.
Chowdhury called upon Panchayat Samiti chairpersons, Zilla Parishad members and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of urban local bodies to ensure that residents in their respective areas are informed about the schemes.
“Unless we are fully informed about these schemes ourselves, we cannot guide others effectively,” he said, urging participants to make use of technical sessions being conducted to explain the procedures involved.
The Minister stressed that road-safety awareness should not remain confined to annual programmes but should become a continuous public campaign driven by Jan Bhagidari.
He acknowledged the contribution of the police and Transport Department to the reduction in fatalities and recalled former Tripura DGP Anurag Dhankar’s participation in Road Safety Council meetings and his encouragement of road-safety initiatives.
Chowdhury said sustained coordination among the Transport, Police and Health departments, district administration and elected representatives would be crucial to bringing down road accidents further and ensuring timely assistance to victims.
DM West Tripura Dr Vishal Kumar, IG Law and Order Ipper Manchak, Secretary U K Chakma, Sabhadipati Biswajit Shil, MLA Mina Rani Sarkar and other officials were present at the programme.
