Over 25K Lives Lost To Road Accidents In Odisha 2017-2021

Bhubaneswar: Road accidents have claimed over 25,000 lives in Odisha in the last five years, Commerce & Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu told the Assembly on Thursday. 

In a written reply to the query of BJP MLA Mohan Charan Majhi, the Minister said that 14 people die, on an average, every day in road mishaps in the state.

While 10,855 accidents and 4,790 fatalities were reported in 2017,  5,315 people succumbed in 11,262 accidents in 2018.

In 2019, 5,333 lives were lost in 11,064 accidents. The following years saw 9,817 accidents and 4,738 fatalities while 5081 dies in 10,984 accidents in 2021.

The Minister further informed that 1.69 crore has been disbursed as compensation from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) to the next of kin of deceased persons who died due to road accidents between 2018 and 2022.

In reply to another query of BJD MLA Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, she said Odisha witness around 5,000 annually against the national average of 1.5 lakh.

According to the Crime Branch, among the fatalities reported in the state in 2021, 49.81% were motorcyclists, 11.84% were pedestrians, 10.52% involved cars, 3.50% were cyclists and 2.49% were related to buses.

The ‘Road Accidents in India 2020’ published by the Minister of Road Transport and Highways stated that the death per 100 road accidents in Odisha is 48.