Chandigarh, November 16:
On the occasion of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which is observed globally on the third Sunday of November, Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar convened a special meeting with officials of the Lead Agency on Road Safety and representatives of civil society organizations. The meeting, held here today, marked the formal launch of the Action Plan for the Hit and Run Compensation Scheme in the state. The day is observed in memory of road crash victims, in support of their bereaved families and to strengthen collective efforts to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Addressing the gathering, the Transport Minister reiterated the State Government’s commitment to reducing road crash fatalities and improving support mechanisms for victims and their families. He said that the Action Plan reflects Punjab’s resolve to expand awareness and ensure timely assistance under the Hit and Run Compensation Scheme, a key component of the state’s road safety system. Under the Hit and Run Compensation Scheme, 2022, financial assistance of ₹2,00,000 is provided in cases of death and ₹50,000 in cases of grievous injury, where the offending vehicle or driver remains untraceable.
Citing Punjab Traffic Police data, the Minister informed that there are 3,324 pending hit-and-run cases from 2022 and 2023, including 2,510 fatalities and 1,317 grievously injured persons. He assured that the government will make all efforts to clear pending cases from these years by March 31, 2026, ensuring relief to affected families.
R. Venkat Ratnam, IAS (Retd.), Director General of the Lead Agency on Road Safety, said that the Lead Agency has drawn up a schedule of training and capacity-building sessions across six district headquarters—Jalandhar, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Bathinda, Tarn Taran, Firozpur, and Patiala—covering nearby districts as well. These sessions, to be held from November 25 to December 31, 2025, will train SDMs, SPs/DSPs (Traffic), Civil Surgeons, and RTOs in processing and uploading case documents quickly to speed up compensation disbursal. The training will be conducted by Harpreet Singh, national awardee for road safety, in collaboration with Avoid Accident NGO and other empanelled road safety organizations. A detailed checklist has been prepared to streamline file processing.
Paramjit Singh, Joint Director, Lead Agency (Road Safety), informed that after completion of the training programme, the Lead Agency will organize facilitation camps in partnership with NGOs such as Mayank Foundation, Muktsar Welfare Club, and Avoid Accident to help claimants complete documentation on the spot and speed up compensation delivery. These initiatives reflect the Transport Department’s continued efforts not only to strengthen road safety measures but also to protect the dignity and rights of road crash victims and their families. With a coordinated and compassionate approach, the Punjab Government aims to make compensation processes more accessible, efficient and impactful.
