Mubashir Bukhari
Srinagar (NVI): The Jammu and Kashmir administration today accorded sanction to the creation of ‘Road Accident Victims Fund’ to provide immediate succour to the dependents of persons killed in the Union Territory. The UT administration also gave its nod to the issuance of relevant provisions for regulating the fund in this regard.
Principal Secretary Transport Department, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon said that the aim of the fund is to introduce a welfare scheme for providing assistance to the legal heirs of the persons killed/injured in road accidents of passenger cum private vehicles including the vehicles owned by government/ corporation/ public sector undertaking, etc.
He added that 0.5 percent of the cost of the vehicle would be charged towards the fund as a one-time contribution at the time of registration of vehicle.
The order issued by the transport department reads that Corpus Fund with a minimum balance of Rs 1 crore only shall be created in the department and funds should be provided by the finance department.
Regarding the utilisation of the fund, Dr Samoon said that it will be specially used for payment of ex-gratia relief to the victims of road accidents in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
A committee will be formed to grant the relief to the dependents with Administrative Secretary Transport as Chairman, Transport Commissioner, representative of Finance Department as members and Additional Secretary (Technical) Road safety council as Member Secretary of the committee, the order reads.
The order says that Rs 1 Lakh will be provided to the dependents in case of death of a person, Rs 75,000 in case of permanent disability, Rs 50,000 in case of grievous injuries and Rs 10,000 for minor injuries.
“The relief sanctioned by the appropriate authority shall be in addition to any other relief, if any, to be sanctioned by the Government or by any other authority under any law for the time being in force. These rules shall be applicable to hit and run cases also. In addition to the passenger victims, these rules shall be applicable to road users/pedestrians also,” it reads.
