Panjim:- In view of one road accident every two hours and road accident death every 26 hours reported in the year 2017, the police department claimed that such cases lead to an economic burden on the State. Director General of Police Muktesh Chander’s 10-page report to the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) revealed that 3,917 road accidents claimed lives of 333 people and injured more than 2,956 persons across the State in 2017 year. He further stated, “These numbers translate into one road accident every 2 hours and one road accident death every 26 hours for Goa. Road traffic injuries and fatalities impose a huge economic burden on the State. Accidents carry high economic and social costs, which are not easy to ascertain.” The Commission is hearing a suo-motu petition into the controversy surrounding the Traffic Sentinel Scheme. The commission had issued notices to Chief Secretary, Secretary (Home) and DGP after several legislators raised apprehension regarding the scheme during a discussion in the Legislative Assembly last month. The DGP’s reply to the commission also explained that the cost of road related injuries and accidents can be assessed in terms of medical costs, other costs related to administrative legal and police expenditure, collateral damage in terms of damage to property and motor vehicle and loss due to income foregone arising out of absence from work or impairment/disability or untimely death. “Besides, accident survivors often live poor quality of life and have to live with pan and suffering which are difficult to estimate,” he said n his defense to implementing the scheme. However, he also pointed out that occurrence of road accident is an outcome of interplay of a number of factors, which among others include length of road network, vehicle population, human population and adherence/ enforcement by behavioural standards and policy intervention. The DGP went on to add that more than half of Goa’s road accident victims are in the age group of 25-45 years which is the key wage earning and child raising age group. The last calendar year saw 3,709 road accidents as against 3,917 in 2017, a decline by 5.31 percent. The 2018 year also saw 262 people losing their lives to the accidents compared to 333 during the preceding year, a decrease by 21.32 percent. The GHRC has adjourned the matter for March 8 when the Chief Secretary and Secretary (Transport) are directed to submit their reply.