Tripura CM Calls for Adoption of ‘Gujarat Model’ to Achieve Zero Road Fatalities, Stresses Technology, Enforcement and Public Awareness
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, January 6, 2026
Emphasising that even a single death on the road is unacceptable, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha has advised state officials to adopt the much acclaimed ‘Gujarat Model’ of road safety to make Tripura’s roads completely accident free.
Chairing a high level review meeting at the Secretariat in Agartala on Monday as part of the preparations for Road Safety Month 2025, the Chief Minister said the Gujarat model is built on three strong pillars
like, advanced technology, strict enforcement of law, and swift post accident rescue and medical response. He directed officials to internalise these principles while planning Tripura’s road safety strategy.
The Chief Minister underlined that while Tripura may be performing better than the national average in road accident statistics, there is no room for complacency. “Road accidents are not just numbers, each death shatters an entire family’s dreams. Our goal must be zero fatalities,” he said, setting an ambitious but humane target for the state.
To make Agartala more pedestrian-friendly, Dr Saha instructed concerned departments to expedite the completion of footpaths on both sides of major roads so that people can walk safely without risking their lives. He also highlighted Tripura’s unique geographical and seasonal challenges, noting that dense winter fog and early-morning driver fatigue significantly increase accident risks.
Stressing the role of modern technology, the Chief Minister said the state plans to expand the network of CCTV cameras and GPS-based vehicle tracking systems to monitor traffic movement and identify rule violators. Speed monitoring devices, including speed guns, will be installed at critical and accident-prone locations to curb overspeeding.
Highlighting the importance of the golden hour, the first crucial hour after an accident, Dr Saha announced plans to establish more trauma care centres across the state to ensure prompt medical attention to the injured. He also directed that police and fire service personnel be given specialised first-aid training, as they are usually the first responders at accident sites.
Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury informed the meeting that 16 state-of-the-art ambulances have been kept on round the clock standby to ensure immediate response as soon as accident information is received.
Taking a firm stand on driving licences, the Minister said that an unskilled driver behind the wheel is an invitation to disaster. He instructed the Transport Department to adopt a zero-tolerance approach, ensuring that no driving licence is issued without proper and rigorous testing.
However, Dr Saha also made it clear that laws alone cannot prevent accidents. He appealed to citizens to take responsibility by wearing helmets, fastening seat belts, and strictly avoiding drunk driving. “Road safety begins at home,” he remarked, calling for mass awareness at the family and community level.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary J K Sinha, Director General of Police Anurag, PWD Secretary Kiran Gitte and senior secretaries from the Transport and Police departments. Emphasis was laid on inter-departmental coordination to identify and rectify black spots
locations with a high incidence of accidents.
In line with the Union government’s directive, January 2025 will be observed as ‘Accident-Free Month’. Seeking active public participation to make the initiative a success, the Chief Minister said that if every driver and pedestrian acts responsibly, Tripura’s roads can emerge as one of the safest corridors in the country.
However, questions remain over whether issues related to poor road conditions were discussed in detail during the meeting. In several stretches of Tripura’s national highways, specially Kamalpur to Hejamara, signages are missing in many places, street lighting is inadequate, safety railings are absent at accident-prone zones, and road patrolling is largely non-existent. Even on the recently completed Kamalpur–Khowai–Hezamara road, large potholes have reportedly developed at multiple locations without timely repairs.
There was no official confirmation on whether these infrastructural shortcomings were taken up for discussion in the presence of the Chief Minister, leaving commuters hopeful yet cautious as the state moves towards its ambitious vision of zero road fatalities.
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