Bhubaneswar: The State Government has extended the deadline for submission of applications to claim compensation in connection with a hit-and-run accident case from six months to one year.
This step aims to provide adequate time to beneficiaries to utilize compensation.
The state government on May 14, 2018 launched the Sollatium fund scheme as part of where the deceased’s legal heir in the case of a hit-and-run accident has the right to get RS 2 lakh compensation.
A critical injured person has the right to get Rs 50,000 under the scheme.
“We have noticed that not many people (legal heirs) can file compensation within six months.
To give them more windows and opportunities, we have extended the deadline of up to one year.
Official notification of extended deadlines has been issued,” Madhu Sudan Padhi, Secretary of the State Trade Department and Transportation.
According to the existing procedure, the Petitioner (Hope Legal) needs to compensate for regional transportation officers (RTO) who care under the jurisdiction of the Hit-and-Run case occurred in one year from the date of accident.
RTO will conduct a comprehensive field investigation and send a report to the Transportation Commissioner for compensation sanctions.
While RTOS should finish their probe in a month, the Transportation Commissioner must release the number of claims within 15 days from the date of receipt of the probe report.
Statistics show a bad response from people to the compensation scheme.
Overall 1,108 and 907 people have died in a hit-and-run accident in the state in 2019 and 2020.
In addition, 1,250 and 902 people have suffered sad injuries in cases of the state in 2019 and 2020.
However, The Department of Transportation only received 140 applications (died and injured relatives) in 2019 and 2020 from beneficiaries.
Compensation is given to only 92 applicants in cases related to death and injury in hit-and-run cases for two years.
“We channel the compensation of Rs 47 Lakh against death and Rs 2.5 lakh against injured cases in a hit-and-run in 2019.
RS 1.6 Crore compensation was paid to the late legal heirs and rs 5 lakh rs for people who were injured in 2020.
Not many people are aware of this scheme, “said other transportation department officials.
If the recipient receives insurance worth Rs 2 lakh from another company, he becomes not eligible to take advantage of the government’s sollatium scheme.
If the recipient receives RS 1 Lakh insurance from an insurance company, he has the right to get only Rs 1 lakh under the Slatium scheme, the official said.