Bhubaneswar: As many as 505 people were killed in road accidents during the safety awareness month, which was held between January 1, 2025 and January 31, 2025 in Odisha, informed Transport Minister Bibhuti Jena. In his reply to a question of Nayagarh MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo at the State assembly today, the Transport Minister said that a total of 848 accidents occurred during the safety awareness month which killed 505 people and left 472 others injured. The Odisha government has invested Rs 1,89,66,694 in road safety awareness campaigns, Jena said adding that this apart each RTO/SP was sanctioned Rs 13 lakh to celebrate the safety awareness month. Likewise, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, while replying to a question by Basta MLA Subasini Jena, said that 1,859 people were killed due to snakebites in the last two financial years across the state. While, 1,150 people died in 2023-24 fiscal year, 709 people lost their lives in 2024-25 fiscal year. Speaking about the compensation, the Minister said that 1,022 families of the deceased persons got compensation in 2023-24 fiscal year and 22 cases were rejected following verification while 106 cases are pending at various levels. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, compensation was given to the families of 435 deceased persons while eight cases were rejected, and 266 cases are pending at different levels, the Minister added.
Odisha: 505 people killed in road accidents in one month, snakebite claims 1,859 lives in two years
