Agartala, June 24: Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Monday announced that the state recorded a 13% decline in road accident cases last year, attributing the progress to the coordinated efforts of the police and traffic units of Tripura Police.
Speaking to the media after a meeting of the State Road Safety Council, the Minister said, “The police and traffic departments have played a very constructive role in curbing road traffic accidents. We have observed a 13% drop in such cases last year, and we are optimistic that this number will further decrease with continued vigilance.”
Senior officials from the Health Department, Tripura Police, and other related departments were present at the high-level meeting.
Addressing the meeting’s key agenda, Chowdhury announced that the state is preparing to adopt the Centre’s cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims. Under this scheme, victims will be eligible for free treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh at empanelled hospitals.
“This is a critical step forward in road safety and post-accident care. However, there are several procedural issues that need to be clarified before implementation,” the Minister said. He pointed out that specific guidelines regarding eligibility criteria and the list of hospitals to be empanelled under the scheme are still under discussion with the Centre.
Once these issues are resolved, the scheme will be formally launched by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha.
“We have received the directive from the central government, and our departments are actively working to ensure smooth rollout. The aim is to ensure that no accident victim is denied timely and quality treatment due to financial constraints,” Chowdhury added.
The initiative is seen as a significant step toward enhancing road safety and post-accident support systems in the state.