Kurnool: The Kurnool administration has established a six-member committee to support victims of hit-and-run cases in the district. This initiative is in alignment with the central government’s guidelines that families of deceased in hit-and-run cases should be monetarily compensated.
As per these new guidelines, families of deceased persons will receive Rs 2 lakh in compensation, while those with grievous injuries will receive support of Rs 50,000.
The number of accidents Kurnool district has witnessed in recent years is a cause of concern. There were 640 accidents in 2020, followed by 660 in 2021, 670 in 2022, and 320 accidents up to August this year.
A sizable portion of these accidents are hit-and-run cases, 27 in 2020, 33 in 2021, 62 in 2022, and around 10 in 2023. Hit-and-run cases remain unresolved due to the lack of information about the vehicle responsible for the accident. This often leaves families of victims without any means to claim insurance benefits.
To address this issue, the state government previously extended financial assistance to bereaved families through the Apathbandhu scheme, based on local authorities' recommendations. Further, the centre’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways provided assistance of Rs 25,000 for accidental deaths and Rs 12,000 for grievous injuries.
In February last year, the Ministry increased these amounts to Rs 2 lakh for deaths and Rs 50,000 for grievous injuries. This change aimed to provide the much-needed relief to bereaved families and introduced a time-bound application process for payment of compensation.
Kurnool district administration is now planning to constitute a six-member committee, with the district collector as the head, to recommend assistance to eligible families. This will ensure that families, who have lost their loved ones in hit-and-run cases, can access the revised assistance provided by the central government.
Deputy Transport Commissioner K. Sridhar has confirmed that the committee will be constituted shortly to support the victims.
