Tripura road safety meet calls for coordinated action to curb accidents; Good Samaritans honoured

Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Wednesday, September 30, chaired the 18th meeting of the State Road Safety Council and called for coordinated action by government departments and greater public participation to prevent road accidents.

The meeting was held at the Secretariat in Agartala and attended virtually by senior officials, including secretaries of the Health, Public Works Department, Finance, Revenue and Disaster Management departments, besides transport officials, the Director of Higher Education, Superintendent of Traffic Police and district magistrates and superintendents of police from all eight districts.

Chowdhury stressed the need for coordinated and effective measures to improve road safety and protect pedestrians and commuters.

“Road safety is the collective responsibility of all of us,” the minister said, emphasising the need to strengthen preventive measures and coordination among departments.

He also said administrative measures alone were not enough and underlined the importance of public awareness and responsible participation by citizens in building a safer road transport system.

Separately, the Transport Department organised a programme at the Secretariat where Chowdhury honoured recipients of the ‘Rahbir’ or Good Samaritan awards for helping road accident victims reach hospitals promptly.

Each awardee was given a cash prize of Rs 25,000 and a certificate for their humanitarian service.

The awardees included Kajal Debnath and Prasenjit Bhowmik jointly, Ashesh Das, Khurshid Mia and Ajit Das from Gomati district; Satyajit Kumar Shil and Satyaranjan Debnath from Dhalai district; and Latika Sinha from Unakoti district.

Chowdhury said helping accident victims and ensuring they receive timely medical treatment was not only a civic responsibility but also an expression of humanity.

He urged people to come forward without hesitation when they witness road accidents and help injured persons reach medical facilities at the earliest.

The minister praised the awardees for their courage and compassion and urged citizens not to remain passive when they encounter road accidents.