By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: Bihar’s Transport Secretary, Sanjay Agarwal, has taken a firm stance on the issue of insurance companies failing to pay compensation to road accident victims promptly, despite court orders from the Bihar Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Tribunal. During a recent review meeting, it was decided that if compensation payments remain pending for more than a month after a court order, the matter will be reported to the Insurance Ombudsman. Insurance companies have assured the execution of pending cases within 15 days.
The Transport Secretary made it clear that strict action will be recommended against insurance companies that delay compensation payments. He further stated that the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) would be informed about any such delays.
In the meeting, the Transport Secretary reviewed the current status of pending compensation payments with representatives from each insurance company. He emphasised that once the tribunal has passed an order, compensation payments must not be delayed. He urged the companies to understand the pain of the families of the deceased and seriously injured victims and not to harass them by withholding compensation.
To ensure timely compensation for accident victims, a performance ranking of insurance companies will be released every month. This ranking will also be made available to the public, enabling them to be informed about the efficiency of different insurance companies.
To prevent delays in compensation payments, a reminder will be sent to the concerned insurance company 15 days after the tribunal’s order. The Transport Secretary issued instructions to the relevant officials in this regard.
The Bihar Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Tribunal was established to ensure that road accident victims and their families receive timely compensation without the need to pursue lengthy legal processes. Currently, the tribunal operates in seven divisional headquarters: Darbhanga, Patna, Saran, Gaya, Purnia, Muzaffarpur, and Bhagalpur. To date, a total of 161 accident claim cases have been resolved by these tribunals.
State Transport Commissioner Shri Vishal Raj, Joint Secretary Krityanand Ranjan, and representatives from various insurance companies were present at the meeting.
