Tk 10 Lakh Demanded For Each Killed In Road Accident

The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, an organization focused on promoting road safety, has put forth several demands today. They are calling for compensation of Tk 10 lakh to be provided to the families of each individual who has lost their life in road accidents and Tk 5 lakh for those who have been injured. Additionally, the organization is advocating for the full enforcement of the existing laws in all road accident cases.

According to the current legislation, families of deceased victims are eligible for Tk 5 lakhs, and injured individuals can receive Tk 3 lakhs from the road accident victims' financial assistance fund. These demands were presented by Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury, the secretary general of the Samity, during a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters Unity in Dhaka, marking the National Road Safety Day.

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has reported that approximately 4,016 road accidents took place from January to September this year, resulting in the deaths of 3,727 people and injuries to 5,781. Based on these statistics, the families of the deceased would be entitled to Tk 186.35 crore, and the injured would be eligible for Tk 173.43 crore in compensation.

Notably, the government recently provided Tk 7.8 crore in compensation to 162 road crash victims and their families for the first time.

Mozammel also highlighted that, despite the establishment of Road Safety Units by the BRTA and the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, there has been a lack of effective measures to prevent road accidents. Consequently, the number of road accidents and fatalities continues to rise each year.

The organization is further calling for an extension of the application deadline for financial assistance from one month to one year, greater transparency and accountability in fund disbursement, and the introduction of an e-traffic prosecution system equipped with CCTV cameras. Key representatives from the organization, including its vice-president, joint secretary-general, and publicity secretary, were present at the event. Additionally, individuals affected by road accidents, namely Rahila Anjum Khushbu, Ayesha Khatun, and Pannu Akter, shared their perspectives during the program.