Chandigarh: Punjab marked the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Sunday with a renewed push to support families affected by fatal and grievous hit-and-run crashes. Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar chaired a special meeting with officials of the Lead Agency on Road Safety and civil society members, where the state formally rolled out an Action Plan to implement the Hit and Run Compensation Scheme more effectively.
The global observance, held every year on the third Sunday of November, honours lives lost on the road and underscores the urgent need for better safety measures.
During the meeting, Minister Bhullar reiterated the government’s commitment to reducing road deaths and ensuring timely compensation under the Hit and Run Compensation Scheme, 2022. The scheme offers ₹2 lakh in cases of death and ₹50,000 for grievous injuries when the vehicle or driver responsible cannot be traced.
He noted that 3,324 hit-and-run cases from 2022 and 2023 are still pending, including 2,510 deaths and 1,317 serious injuries. He assured that the state aims to clear all these cases by March 31, 2026, to deliver long-awaited relief to affected families.
R. Venkat Ratnam, IAS (Retd.), Director General of the Lead Agency on Road Safety, announced a capacity-building programme across six districts—Jalandhar, Mohali, Bathinda, Tarn Taran, Firozpur and Patiala. Scheduled from November 25 to December 31, 2025, the training sessions will equip SDMs, Traffic Police officers, Civil Surgeons and RTOs with the skills needed to speed up documentation and upload case records promptly.
National road safety awardee Harpreet Singh will lead the training, supported by Avoid Accident NGO and other empanelled groups. A detailed checklist has been drafted to streamline file processing and minimise delays.
Joint Director Paramjit Singh added that after the training phase, the state will hold facilitation camps with NGOs such as the Mayank Foundation, Muktsar Welfare Club and Avoid Accident. These camps will help claimants complete paperwork on the spot, ensuring quicker movement of compensation claims and smoother delivery of benefits.
