Tripura RTAs decline 13 per cent despite doubling of vehicles; 70,000 driving licences confiscated in three years

Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on July 14 said that despite the increase in the number of registered vehicles in the state from 4 lakh to 8 lakh, the road accident rate has declined by around 13 percent compared to earlier years.

He said the state government has taken several important steps to ensure speedy rescue operations and better medical treatment for road accident victims.

“The ‘PM Rahat’ scheme has been launched by modernising and strengthening the erstwhile ‘Good Samaritan’ policy. Under this scheme, a person who rescues an accident victim and takes them to a hospital will receive a reward of Rs 25,000 from the Transport Department. At the same time, immediate cashless medical facilities have also been arranged for the injured,” he said.

The Transport Minister was speaking while inaugurating a workshop on the Motor Vehicles Act and related provisions at Pragya Bhavan in Agartala today.
The workshop, titled ‘The Motor Vehicles Act and Associated Rules’, was organised to further strengthen the road safety system and ensure effective implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act. 

Detailed discussions were held on various aspects, including the Motor Vehicles Act, road safety measures, the e-Challan system, traffic management, effective law enforcement methods, and related regulations.

Addressing the workshop, Minister Chowdhury said that a person rescuing an accident victim under the PM Rahat scheme would not face any police interrogation or legal complications.

He further said that to ensure a quick response during road emergencies, 16 state-of-the-art life-saving ambulances and modern traffic interceptor vehicles have been deployed on important and accident-prone roads across the state.

He added that special awareness camps have been planned at the district level to extend the benefits of the PM Rahat scheme to remote areas. A large-scale public awareness campaign will be undertaken with the active participation of district magistrates, police administration, and elected representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions.

Speaking at the workshop, Tripura Police IGP Manchak Ippar said that around 70,000 driving licences have been confiscated in the state over the last three years, while several thousand licences have been temporarily suspended.

The IGP said that in future, greater emphasis would be placed on confiscating licences in cases of serious traffic violations, along with the permanent cancellation of vehicle registrations and driving licences wherever necessary.

“Therefore, special importance has been given to training officials involved in this process on the relevant legal provisions and procedures,” he said.

The programme was attended by Additional Secretary of the Transport Department Subrata Chowdhury, Joint Secretary Maitree Debnath, and other senior officials