E-Paper
Jharkhand proposes Rs1 lakh compensation for casualty in road accident
The proposal of adding road accident casualties in state disaster list was approved in the state disaster management authority meeting chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren
Jharkhand has decided to include fatalities in road accidents in the state disaster list, officials said on Wednesday. This means that the family of anyone dying in a road accident will receive a compensation of Rs1 lakh.
State disaster management department minister Banna Gupta said, “The historic decision was taken on humanitarian grounds. The proposal was approved in the state disaster management authority (SDMA) meeting held under the chairmanship of chief minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday evening.”
The minister said the compensation amount would be provided by the state disaster management department. “Jharkhand is probably the first state where the government will give compensation against casualty in road accident. The current practice is that the government hires an insurance company which gives the coverage amount after claim,” he said.
However, the provision will only be applicable in case of death in road accident not injury, officials said.
Joint secretary at the disaster management department Manish Tiwary said, “Earlier, road accident casualties were not in Centre or state disaster list. We have decided to include this in state disaster list.”
He said the proposal would now go to the Cabinet for final approval. As per the records available with the state transport department, Jharkhand has been witnessing over 5,000 road accidents and over 3,000 deaths every year. An analysis of the road accidents data since 2016 shows that number of casualties has increased in the state over the years.
In 2019, the state recorded as many as 5,215 road accidents, with 3,800 deaths reported in them. Even though the number of accidents declined in comparison to 2018, but casualties have increased. In 2018, the state had recorded 5,394 accidents with 3,542 deaths.
However, the numbers of accidents and casualties have both declined sharply in 2020 due to Covid-triggered lockdowns. A total of 3,366 road accidents took place till October 2020, in which 2,294 people lost their lives.
On the decision, joint transport commissioner (road safety), Ravishankar Vidyarthi, who is also the head of the lead agency on road safety in Jharkhand, said, “Road accidents or casualties are always unexpected. These sudden deaths cause trouble for the families left behind.”
Vidyarthi said the department has also initiated hordes of measures including road safety audit and road engineering correction to reduce the accidents on Jharkhand roads.
