Agartala, September 22:
Road accidents in Tripura have declined by around 13 per cent, while fatalities have also shown a sustained downward trend, Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said on Tuesday, urging wider public awareness about Central government schemes that provide financial assistance to accident victims and Good Samaritans.
Addressing a district-level road safety awareness and sensitisation programme at the State Guest House here, Chowdhury said the decline in accidents and deaths was the result of joint enforcement and awareness efforts by the Transport Department, police and other stakeholders, along with monitoring of road safety measures.
According to the Transport Minister road accidents declined by 13 percent from 578 in 2024 to 527 in 2025, while fatalities also fell significantly. The state recorded 413 accidents and 134 deaths up to August 2026, according to figures presented at the programme.
The Minister attributed the declining trend to coordinated enforcement and monitoring by the Transport Department and police, besides sustained road safety awareness involving various stakeholders.
According to figures cited at the programme, Tripura recorded 577 road accidents and 261 deaths in 2023. In 2024, accidents stood at 578 and fatalities at 226, while in 2025 the figures declined to 527 accidents and 197 deaths.
Chowdhury said greater public participation was necessary to further reduce casualties, particularly by encouraging people to immediately assist accident victims rather than merely recording incidents on mobile phones.
He said fear of police or legal complications had earlier discouraged people from taking injured victims to hospitals, but legal safeguards and Supreme Court directions protect Good Samaritans from harassment.
Under the Rah-Veer Scheme, earlier Good Samaritan scheme, a person who rescues an accident victim and takes the injured person to a hospital during the critical period is eligible for financial assistance of Rs 25,000. Tripura provided assistance to 11 Good Samaritans in 2025 and seven persons so far in 2026.
The minister also highlighted PM-RAHAT (Prime Minister Road Accident Victim and Assured Treatment Scheme), under which eligible road accident victims can receive cashless treatment of up to Rs 1.5 lakh, subject to prescribed conditions and the treatment expenditure. In Tripura, 336 beneficiaries have received assistance under the scheme, with Rs 6.16 lakh disbursed, officials said.
Under the Hit-and-Run Compensation Scheme, the family of a person killed in a hit-and-run accident is entitled to Rs 2 lakh, while an injured victim is eligible for Rs 50,000.
Chowdhury said awareness about the three schemes must reach households through elected representatives, district administrations, police stations and health authorities. He urged Panchayat Samiti, Zilla Parishad and urban local body representatives to conduct grassroots awareness programmes, with technical assistance from the Transport Department.
The Minister also cited enforcement measures, including collection of ₹160 crores in fines during 2025 while the pending amount is around ₹120 crores.
The Minister also administered an oath on road safety.
Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Ipper Manchak Dnyanoba, West District Magistrate Vishal Kumar, Law and Order, senior police officials, SPs and SP Traffic, besides Sabhadhipati of the West Tripura Zilla Parishad Biswajit Shil, elected representatives from Panchayat to urban local bodies, attended the programme.
