Truck Drivers Protest:
Truck and bus drivers protest across India against the new ‘Hit & Run’ law: fuel, travel, & food services suffer.
The nationwide strike of truckers across India, from north to south, has resulted in chaos within just 2 days since their protests began against the new Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023’s provision for hit-and-run cases that can attract a 10-year jail term and a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
The criminal code law, which repealed the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) provides rigorous punishment for fleeing an accident spot and not reporting the incident, and since most of these incidents allegedly involved truck and bus drivers, they have landed up in arms against the government.
Earlier, the accused could be jailed only for up to two years under Section 304A of the IPC (causing death by negligence).
The drivers say no one intentionally causes accidents, and they fear being trashed by a mob if they try to take the injured to the hospital, demanding the repeal of the “black law”.
In a widespread demonstration, the nationwide strike by transport associations and drivers is causing disruptions in fuel supplies and long queues at petrol pumps in various cities.
Truckers are protesting against these changes, claiming that this provision will prove draconian for truck drivers and discourage more people from choosing truck driving as a way to earn their livelihoods.
Protesters obstructed highways in several districts across the country by coming on roads, parking their vehicles in a bid to block the motion of traffic, and aiming for the government to repeal the new provision in BNS.
Fuel Shortage:
Over 70% of the estimated 1.02 lakh trucks, tempos and containers in the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) remained off the roads on Monday, and the three-day strike is likely to impact the distribution of fuel and hit fruits and vegetable supplies in the coming days.
Fuel shortage fears as truck drivers block highways to protest against a new hit-and-run law.
About 2000 petrol pumps, mostly in western and northern India, have run out of fuel stocks as the strike by some trucker associations entered its second day on Tuesday. While state-owned oil firms had topped up tanks at most petrol pumps across the country in anticipation of the truckers strike, some petrol pumps in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra, and Punjab ran out of stock due to a heavy rush, an industry official said.
Essential supplies of vegetables, fruits, and milk too may be affected if the three-day strike is extended or a pan-Indian movement is launched. Some truck, bus, and tanker operators began a three-day strike on Monday against the stringent jail and fine regulations under the new criminal law.
Truck Drivers Protest : The New ‘Hit & Run’ Law
Read More:
Best Honeymoon Destinations: Don’t plan without reading this
Best Google One Plan: Google One क्या है? कैसे यूज़ करें, जानिए इसके फायदे