Road Ministry to roll out pilot project for accident victims by May

NEW DELHI: The Road Transport and Highways Ministry today signed a pact with ICICI Lombard to roll out a pilot project on the Gurgaon-Jaipur stretch of NH-8 with a seed fund of Rs 20 crore to provide quick help and cashless treatment to the injured.

The move, first of its kind in the country to provide speedy aid to accident victims would soon be replicated pan India, Road Transport and Highways Minister C P Joshi told reporters here.

Joshi said the pilot project was designed in view of road accidents taking toll of 1.4 lakh people annually and would be implemented in next two months.

"The pilot project will begin in the next two months for which 51 hospitals have been empanelled which would provide help to victims during golden hour, the first hour or the most crucial period after the accident. The Ministry will contribute Rs 30,000 as upfront payment for any victim's treatment," Joshi said.

The private insurer ICICI Lombard would contribute Rs 30 lakh towards this initiative as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and will take care of the administrative set up including control rooms besides tie-ups with the hospitals.

According to official estimates, about 1.4 lakh persons die in road accidents every year, of which over 250 casualties are reported on the Gurgaon-Jaipur stretch alone. The number of accidents per annum is as high as 5 lakh in the country, among the highest in the world.

The pilot project is being launched to gain data and experience for rolling out a pan-India scheme aimed at providing immediate medical attention to the accident victims during the 'golden hour' or period lasting from a few minutes to few hours following traumatic injury.

The ministry will enrol a large number of volunteers on the identified stretch of NH-8. These volunteers will be imparted training in first-aid and trauma care, for which the ministry is in consultation with AIIMS.

The state governments of Haryana and Rajasthan will be closely associated with the execution of the project. They would deploy mobile posts on the identified stretch for immediate reporting and handling of accident victims.

NHAI will put up sign boards at every 500 metres for precise identification of the accident spots and also provide jackets with reflective tapes and signs to the road safety volunteers.