Road accident victims yet to receive compensation as funds remain unused

Journalist Mohammad Imran Hossain was killed on 30 December 2023 in a collision between a motorcycle and a vehicle carrying timber in Rangunia of Chattogram. Following the accident, his family applied for compensation. However, they have not received any payment even after two years. Nor have they been informed whether they will receive compensation at all.

Imran’s mother, Ayesha Begum, told Prothom Alo on Monday that the family was so devastated by the loss that it took time to regain normalcy. With the help of relatives, they applied for compensation at the office of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) in Chattogram. She said she does not know where to follow up on the matter, and no one has contacted her. As a result, she remains unaware of the current status of the application.

Under the road accident compensation law, the compensation amount is supposed to be transferred to the bank account of the affected family within two months of application. However, due to procedural complexities and negligence by the authorities, victims are not receiving compensation on time.

The Road Transport Act 2018 provides for the creation of a fund to offer financial assistance to the heirs of those killed in road accidents and to those injured. The fund is managed by a trustee board. The rules under this law came into effect on 27 December 2022. These rules outline the formation of the trustee board, collection of funds, the amount of compensation, and the procedure for its disbursement.

According to the rules, the family of a deceased victim is entitled to Tk 500,000 as compensation. In cases of loss of vital limbs, the victim is entitled to Tk 300,000. If an injured person has no prospect of returning to normal life even after treatment, financial assistance of Tk 300,000 is provided. If recovery is possible, the amount is Tk 100,000.

Applications from affected individuals have been accepted since the rules came into force. Compensation payments began on 19 October 2023, when cheques were handed over to 162 recipients.

Six months after compensation payments began, in April 2024, Bony Amin from Bagerhat applied for compensation. His brother, Md Golam Rasul, died in a road accident on 19 April that year. Golam Rasul worked as a cleaner at a madrasa. Two days after his death, his wife gave birth to a son.

Bony Amin told Prothom Alo that he works as a village police officer. After his brother’s death, he submitted the application within the stipulated time and has been following up regularly. However, nearly two years have passed, and BRTA officials continue to delay the process, saying it will be completed soon. He added that he has learned that some who applied after him have already received their compensation.

The trustee board is operated from the office of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA). According to trustee board sources, a total of 2,641 cheques have been distributed among affected individuals from the beginning up to 2025.

Of these, 2,195 were provided to families of the deceased. Among the injured, 316 individuals received financial assistance, while 130 seriously injured persons were granted compensation. In total, Tk 1,168.1 million has been disbursed as compensation.

According to BRTA data, nearly 16,000 people were killed in road accidents between 2023 and last October. During the same period, 20,483 people were injured.

Based on BRTA’s casualty figures, it appears that since the introduction of the compensation scheme, only about 14 per cent of those killed in road accidents have received compensation. Just over 2 per cent have received compensation among the injured. However, unofficial estimates suggest that the actual number of casualties on the roads is even higher.

Saiful Alam, secretary general of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association and a member of the trustee board, believes that many people are being deprived of compensation due to a lack of awareness. He told Prothom Alo, “There is money in the fund. Awareness needs to be raised down to the union level. It could even be arranged so that applications are submitted through government initiatives.”

Even after a year and a half since applying for compensation, the family of Siraj Mia from Tangail has not received any payment. Grocer Siraj Mia was killed in an autorickshaw accident on 15 October 2024.

Siraj Mia’s son, Anwar Hossain, told Prothom Alo that after submitting an application at the Gazipur Deputy Commissioner’s office, his phone number was recorded. A person claiming to be from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) later called him a few months ago and said that if he paid a bribe of Tk 100,000 he would receive Tk 500,000 in compensation. Anwar said they did not have the means to pay such money and therefore did not pursue the matter further.

Assistant director SM Mahfuzur Rahman of the Gazipur BRTA office told Prothom Alo that the application on behalf of Siraj Mia had been submitted 12 days after the stipulated deadline. Despite this, their office recommended compensation and forwarded the case in February last year. The remaining responsibility now lies with the trustee board, and the Gazipur office has no further role.

Initially, under the rules, applications for financial assistance had to be submitted to the chairman of the trustee board within a maximum of 30 days of the accident, using a prescribed form. Due to this short timeframe, many people were deprived of the opportunity to apply. After the interim government assumed office, the application deadline was extended to 90 days. However, this applies only to accidents occurring after January last year; earlier cases are not covered.

According to the rules, after an application is submitted, an inquiry committee must assess the extent of loss within 30 days and submit a report. Within 30 working days of receiving the report, the trustee board is to disburse the compensation by cheque to the applicant’s bank account. In other words, compensation can be provided within two months of the accident.

However, relevant officials say that the assessment of losses is carried out by the offices of the upazila nirbahi officer and the deputy commissioner. These offices have multiple responsibilities, and their heads remain busy. BRTA officials are also accused of delays. As a result, reports are not submitted on time.

There is a 14-member standing committee responsible for investigating and making recommendations on compensation. In cases of accidents outside Dhaka, the respective upazila nirbahi officer serves as the head of the committee, while the relevant assistant director of BRTA acts as the member secretary. Representatives of the police and transport owners and workers are also included as members.

According to trustee board sources, Tk 2,553.7 million remains in the fund as of last August. The rules clearly specify the sources from which the compensation fund, formed under the Road Transport Act, is to be financed.

These include government grants, levies collected from vehicle owners, a portion of fines imposed under the Road Transport Act, donations from owners’ associations, contributions from workers’ organisations or federations, and funds from any other lawful sources. However, at present, levies are being collected from owners of all types of vehicles.

Professor Shamsul Hoque, director of the accident research institute at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), told Prothom Alo that receiving compensation provides at least some relief to distressed families. “Delays or procedural complications in disbursing these funds are in no way acceptable. If this is not managed properly, there must be accountability,” he said.