Tripura: 4 killed, 2 injured in truck-auto rickshaw crash

At least four people, including two women, were killed and two others critically injured after a 12-wheeler goods truck collided head-on with a passenger auto-rickshaw on the Assam-Agartala National Highway in Tripura’s Unakoti district on Friday, police said.

A police official said that the accident occurred at Sidangchhara under the Kumarghat police station limits when the goods-laden truck, heading towards Agartala, rammed into the vehicle travelling towards Pecharthal.

Fire service personnel rescued six injured passengers, including the driver of the three-wheeler, from the mangled vehicle and rushed them to the Kumarghat sub-divisional hospital.

On duty doctor said two victims were dead on arrival at the hospital, while the remaining four were in critical condition and referred to the Unakoti district hospital at Kailashahar.

Hospital authorities later confirmed that two more injured persons succumbed to their injuries during treatment, taking the death toll to four. The condition of the remaining two victims continues to be critical. One of the injured persons was later shifted to Silchar Medical College in southern Assam for advanced treatment.

The deceased were identified as Bhaskar Goswami (47), Kanchana Chakma (55), Hari Shankar Debatrata (50), and Gouri Mili Chakma (35). Goswami is the auto-rickshaw driver, and the other victims are passengers of the three-wheeler. The injured are Jatrapati Chakma (42) and Mayarani Debnath (55)

Upon receiving information, Kumarghat Sub-Divisional Police Officer Utpalendu Debnath and Kumarghat police station Officer-in-Charge Sanjay Das rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operation. The truck driver fled the scene after the accident. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. The offending vehicle has been detained, and legal formalities are being initiated.

Meanwhile, in a bid to curb road accidents and fatalities, the Tripura government has begun implementing a series of strict road safety measures, including the 'No Helmet, No Petrol' and 'No Helmet, No Attendance' policies.

Special emphasis is being laid on the compulsory use of helmets, adherence to traffic rules and responsible driving behaviour, with campaigns being held at key road junctions and public places.

In line with guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, all district administrations in Tripura have adopted the ‘Zero Fatality Month’ plan to bring down road accident-related deaths to zero. Joint efforts involving traffic police, transport department officials, civil defence volunteers, NGOs and members of the public are underway.

Awareness drives, rallies, discussions, outreach programmes and campaigns using social media are being organised to promote traffic discipline and safe driving practices.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, while chairing a review meeting on road safety earlier this month, directed all concerned departments to adopt the ‘Gujarat model of road safety’ to create an accident-free road network in the state.

The Chief Minister asked officials to incorporate these elements into Tripura’s road safety framework.

According to the Transport Department official, the Gujarat model is based on the integrated use of advanced technology, strict law enforcement and swift post-accident rescue with immediate medical care.