Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Truckers’ association is up in arms against the law in which punishment has been increased in hit and run cases. Though they have not gone on official strike but on the call of the association, truck drivers have brought the wheels of trucks to a halt. The final decision on strike will be taken on Monday.
In hit and run, the punishment has been increased up to 10 years along with a fine. As tankers have also come to a screeching halt, vehicle owners may face the shortage of fuel. On learning about the impending strike, people rushed to petrol pumps to get their fuel tank filled.
However, MP Petrol Pump Dealers Association has said that it is trying to manage the show by pressing its tankers into service to maintain supply. The enactment of the new penal law, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has made provision of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine in hit and run cases.
Currently, hit and run cases are tried under section 304A of the Indian Penal Code, which provides for up to two years in jail. All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) state president CL Mukati said, “On January 2, we have convened a meeting to chalk out a strategy of strike against the new law.
At present, it is an unofficial strike which truckers have staged in the country. In the country, there are 1 crore trucks and in MP, there are 25,000 trucks including oil tankers.” “We are against the new provision and demand its withdrawal as there is already a 25-30% shortage of drivers in the transport industry and such a law will only deepen this shortage,” Mukati added.
Akhil Bharatiya Vypar Mandal Mahasang general secretary Anupam Agrawal said, “We have stock of a week, but it will exhaust and then price will increase. Truckers’ strike does not impact immediately but after four to five days it start to affect and even after end of strike, impact prevails for three to four days.”
