Bhubaneswar: Odisha has recorded a total of 25,934 human casualties and 51,873 cases of injuries in 54,790 road mishaps in the last five years.
Replying to a query by BJP MLA Kusum Tete, Odisha Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu informed the State Assembly that as many as 11,262 accidents occurred in 2018, which claimed 5,315 lives and left 11,794 injured while 5,333 deaths were reported in 11, 064 mishaps in the year 2019. A total 11,177 got injured in same year.
The State witnessed 9,817 accidents in 2020. As many as 4,738 people lost lives while 8,818 suffered injuries, Sahu informed.
In 2021, 5081 deaths, and 9,782 injured cases were reported in 10,984 road mishaps while 5467 people were killed in 11, 663 accidents and 10,302 suffered injuries in the year 2022.
The Minister informed that the government is paying a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of a person killed in an unidentified vehicle accident while the injured persons are provided with Rs 50,000.
In the last five years, the government has disbursed a total Rs 1568.5 lakh as compensation to accident victims and the families of the dead, she added.
The government had spent Rs 51 lakh in 2029 while the figure rose to Rs 110.50 lakh in 2020. The amount reached Rs 274.50 lakh, Rs 539 lakh in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
In 2023, the compensation amount given to accident victims stood at Rs 593.50 lakh, the minister told the House.
The Transport Minister told the House that the government has spent a total of Rs 7921 lakh for road safety awareness programes in last five years.
The government spent Rs 643 lakh and Rs 2792 lakh in 2028-19 and 2019-20 respectively for awareness programmes. In 2020-21, the safety awareness programmes cost the State exchequer Rs 889 lakh while it was Rs Rs 1203 lakh in 2021-22. The year 2022-23 saw an expense of Rs 2394 lakh for road safety awareness events.
