The time limit for submitting claims for government compensation for individuals involved in road accidents has been prolonged from 30 to 90 days to facilitate the application process. A gazette was issued by the road transport and bridges ministry on January 25, amending Section 150 of the regulations of the Road Transport Act-2018.
Under the act, victims of road accidents or their families can now apply to a government-established trustee board for compensation. To initiate the process, applicants must provide several documents along with their application within 30 days of the accident.
There has been persistent advocacy from victims’ families and road safety advocates for an extension of the filing period to streamline the procedure. As of July of the previous year, merely five percent of road accident victims had received compensation, largely attributed to the complexity of the process and a lack of awareness.
Between January 2023 and July of the prior year, only 1,471 victims or their families received a total of Tk 65.57 crore in compensation, despite the total casualty count of 31,904 during the same period, according to data from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA).
In response to these challenges, the trustee board chaired by the BRTA chairman recommended extending the deadline to 60 days last year. However, the government opted to extend it to 90 days and issued a corresponding gazette, as confirmed by an unnamed BRTA official who noted that this extension would greatly benefit victims’ families.
As per the regulations, families of victims killed in road accidents are eligible for Tk 5 lakh in compensation. Those who sustain severe injuries or lose a limb are entitled to Tk 3 lakh each, while victims expected to fully recover receive Tk 1 lakh each.
