Mumbai/Pune: The heavy vehicle operators went on a strike for the second straight day on Tuesday against the new hit-and-run law recently passed by the Parliament. With public transport remaining off the road at many places, passengers faced tough time even as panic buying of fuel was also widely reported with beelines of motorists seen at the petrol pumps amid speculations over possibility of fuel shortage due to the strike.
As the Parliament recently passed the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) to replace the colonial era Indian Penal Code (IPC), heavy vehicle operators across the country are on a three-day strike from Jan 1 against the provisions related to hit-and-run accidents in the penal law. The strike has partially hit normal life even as the All India Petrol Dealers Association said the the strike will not have any effect on the fuel supply.
Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the colonial era Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause a serious road accident by negligent driving and run away without informing the police or any official from the administration can face punishment of up to 10 years or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
Country-wide strike continues on day 2: Widespread strike by the heavy drivers was reported from several states across the country with the heavy vehicle operators taking to streets and blocking vehicular traffic at many places against the provisions related to the hit-and-run accidents involving the drivers in the recently passed Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita by the Parliament. The protesting truckers demanded an immediate rollback of the new law, they alleged, would cause “harassment” to the drivers.
Private transport operators claim the law discourages drivers and may lead to unjust punishments. They claim that the drivers could be subject to mob violence when they attempt to transport the injured to hospitals and demand the repeal of the law. All India Motor & Goods Transport Association President, Rajendra Kapoor said, "Our only demand from the govt is that the decision should have been taken after having consultations with our stakeholders. There was no discussion with anyone on this, and no one was asked about this. There should have been prior meetings and consultations”.
Panic buying of fuel: The strike also led to gridlock at scores of places even as beelines of motorists were seen at petrol pumps amid speculations over the possible shortage of petrol and diesel due to the strike. The strike by the heavy vehicle operators was predominantly witnessed in Maharashtra where an estimated 70 percent of the 1.20 lakh heavy vehicle operators remaining off the road on the first day of the strike on Monday.
The truck drivers-owners' associations have called a 'chakkajam' protest to demand that the provisions related to hit-and-run accidents in the new penal law be revoked forthwith. With the petrol, diesel, tanker drivers are taking part in the protest, a panic buying of petrol and diesel was seen at petrol pumps where huge rush of motorists was seen. The panic buying was reported from Shahada, Nawapur, Taloda, Akkalkuwa along with Nandurbar city. Similar reports were received from other states including Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and others.
But Spokesperson of the All India Petrol Dealers Association Ali Daruwala clarified that the strike will not have any effect on petrol and diesel. “Tanker drivers of Indian Oil, HPCL, BBCL have called a strike against the new law of the central government. Rumors are spreading everywhere that petrol pumps will remain closed for three days from today across the state.
Due to this, on Monday night, a large number of citizens from everywhere, including Pune city, rushed to the pump. But the petrol pumps will not be closed from today. The strike of transporters across India will not affect the supply of petrol and diesel,” Daruwala said on Monday. Amid panic among the common people, the Maharashtra government has requested police to ensure uninterrupted supply of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders in the market amid the protest by truckers against a provision in the new penal law regarding hit-and-run road accident cases involving motorists.
Maha govt warns of action under Essential Commodities Act: The Maharashtra Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Protection Department has written a letter to all police commissioners and superintendents of police expressing concern about the stir and its effect on the supply of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders. The state level coordinator (oil industry) has requested the Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Protection Department to intervene to resolve the ongoing impasse as truck drivers and petroleum product transporters were on strike in front of the Mumbai refinery on Monday, officials said.
It was observed that packed lorry drivers were on strike and not reporting to the plant due to which the operation of dispatching LPG cylinders in the market was hampered, the letter mentioned. The same was happening with other petroleum products like petrol, diesel and kerosene, as per the letter. Considering the effect of the strike, the Food and Civil Supply Department requested police to take necessary measures to ensure smooth and uninterrupted supply of those products.
It also urged for appropriate action under the Essential Commodities Act against drivers and transporters for interruption of supply of petroleum products. The Food and Civil Supply Department also expected truckers to not get involved in untoward incidents and cause law and order problems.
All India Motor and Goods Transport Association writes to PM Modi, HM Amit Shah: In the national capital Delhi, the All India Motor and Goods Transport Association has written to PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as well as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members demanding revocation of the provisions related to the hit-and-run accidents in the newly passed BNS, Kapoor claimed that the newly passed BNS will lead to corruption.
“In case of hit and run, no driver intentionally causes an accident. We have seen many times that when a big car collides with a small car and people beat the driver badly. Some people also take wrong advantage of this. Therefore, such laws should not be implemented now which are not in the interest of the driver,” he said.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Kapoor said, “We believe in road safety and accountability, but we also support the livelihood of thousands of hardworking individuals. We have high expectations from our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We are confident that they will reconsider this while discussing with the transport organizations regarding the amendment of this law”.
Meanwhile, the strike caused hardships to common people in Uttarakhand where most of the private buses, taxis, maxi cabs remained off the road.
Protests turn violent in Rajasthan: The strike against the new hit-and-run law turned violent in Rajasthan as the protesters resorted to stone pelting and arson in Kekri. Late on Monday night, the protesters pelted stones at the policemen deployed to clear the traffic in Bandanwada area under Bhinay police station area of Kekri district.
Many policemen including Kekri and Sarwad police station officers were injured in the stone pelting incident. The protesters also resorted to arson and burnt down a vehicle of Kekri City police station to ashes, sources said. A heavy police force from Ajmer and Kekri was deployed in the area to prevent the situation get out of control.
Kekri SP Manish Tripathi said that on Monday night the drivers had blocked the national highway near Bandanwada. The policemen who reached the spot under the leadership of Additional Superintendent of Police Nitesh Arya and Deputy Superintendent of Police Sanjay Singh Champawat tried to hold talks with the drivers, the SP said. “Seeing the heavy police force, the drivers felt that the police might try to forcefully chase them away. Within no time a stampede situation arose at the spot. After some time, the drivers and anti-social elements who were blocking the vehicle pelted stones at the police,” he added.
Many policemen including Kekri City Police Station Officer Pradeep Kumar, Sarwad Police Station Officer Surendra Godara were injured in the stone pelting as per the SP. The Kekri SP said that a case has been registered against 15-20 people in connection with the stone pelting and arson.
In Sawai Madhopur too, passengers were seen in a lot of trouble due to the strike by drivers. Rural travelers coming to Sawai Madhopur by train from far-off places could neither find buses nor taxis to reach their villages. w hit and run law, business worth crores affected
On Tuesday, all the taxi and bus drivers of Jhalawar district came out in protest against the new penal law. The drivers gathered in the bus stand area and took out a foot rally to the Mini Secretariat of Jhalawar. Later, a memorandum was given to District Collector Alok Ranjan asking him to reconsider the changes made in the hit and run law.
They warned that in case the changes made in the law were not withdrawn by January 5, they will be sitting on a dharna in front of the Mini Secretariat and block the road. District President of Drivers Association, Tavanr Singh Rathore said that the salary of drivers is very low and they are not ready to pay the hefty fines as proposed in the new law.
Mumbaikars wake up to no cuppa: Mumbaikars woke up to the nightmare of without having milk and morning tea, two essential beverages which give them a head-start to day's work on Tuesday. The supply of milk was badly disrupted as thousands of trucks carrying chilled milk failed to reach the city and remain stranded at various locations on the national, inter-state or state highways.
Accordingly, a large number of Mumbaikars had to forego their favourite morning cuppa, either tea/coffee or even plain milk for the kids, as the local retailers could not deliver their daily quota of the creamy white nourisher, or in some areas the deliveries came very late, after 10 a.m. or so. Most trucks transporting chilled milk from cooperatives or farms and a handful of corporates in Maharashtra’s hinterland, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh have been held over as drivers have abandoned them since January 1 morning, according to the Mumbai Milk Producers Association (MMPA).
The chilled milk is brought in insulated tankers to Mumbai daily from districts like Kolhapur, Sangli, Nashik, Satara (Maharashtra), Indore, Dewas (both Madhya Pradesh) or Anand, Banaskantha, Surat and Mehsana (all Gujarat).“There is a need of around 50-60 lakh litres of chilled milk per day in Mumbai. Out of the required quantity, 60 per cent is cow milk and the rest is buffalo milk. Thousands of trucks are stuck midway, some have not started with the consignment for the origin point and many more are delayed en route,” MMPA Committee Member Chandan Hausilasingh Singh said.
Protests in Bihar: Truckers in Bihar too took to streets in Bihar to protest against the new hit-and-run law. In Darbhanga truck drivers protested on the Darbhanga-Saharsa main road near Kothi Chowk of Biraul subdivision early in the morning on Monday. The drivers protested by blocking the road and raising slogans against the government, demanding withdrawal of the new law. In capital Patna, similar protest was taken out by the truckers.
"Poor drivers will not be able to fulfill the provisions of the new rule. We will become victims of starvation. This new rule will not work,” said Santosh Kumar, a protesting driver. The CPI(ML) extended support to the protesting truckers. “CPI (ML) is with the drivers. We demand that the new law that has been made should be withdrawn immediately. The old law is in the interest of the drivers," Kamlesh Kumar, District Secretary, CPI(ML) said.
The drivers also expressed fears that the new hit-and-run law might lead to mob lynching of drivers. "If an incident like mob lynching happens to us, what will happen to our family at that time? The central government has not taken any step in this regard till date. We are laborers and truck drivers earning one to two thousand rupees per day. If any incident ever happens to us, everything will be ruined. Our family will be shattered. This law of the Central Government is not fair at all, " said a truck driver from Bettiah.
On Monday, the first day of the New Year, in Chapra, truck drivers protested against the new law and blocked the road by burning tyres on the road near Mehiya Four Lane. Vehicular traffic came to a complete standstill due to the strike. "If the central government does not withdraw the new law of hit and run, then the drivers will be forced to leave the steering wheel and go on strike. Drivers never do accidents intentionally. If they do not run away from the spot after the incident, the crowd gathered will start beating the drivers. The provision of fine and punishment by the government is not justified," a driver from Saran said.
J&K govt rules out fuel shortage: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday asked people not to resort to panic buying of fuel amid the ongoing truckers' strike. Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, appealed to the public on Tuesday not to rush to petrol pumps. The Div Com claimed that there was a “plentiful supply of petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG in the valley, which is enough to meet the demand for about a month."
"We have enough stocks of essential items including petrol and LPG in Kashmir for about a month." Bidhuri said adding that rush of vehicles and containers at petrol pumps could potentially lead to unnecessary fears. "The strike by transporters will not have any effect on Kashmir. Talks are on with transporters. The Divisional Administration of Kashmir is committed to ensuring that people do not face any shortage of other essential items including petrol, diesel and LPG during the winter season," the Div Com said.
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