The nationwide strike by drivers of trucks, buses and tankers against the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita entered its second day on Tuesday, causing long queues at petrol pumps in several states, NDTV reported.
The transport associations and drivers are protesting the sentence of Rs 7 lakh penalty and 10-year jail term for hit-and-run cases under the new criminal law, which will replace the Indian Penal Code.
The president had given assent to the new criminal laws on December 25, but the Union home ministry has not specified the date when the laws will take effect.
Hit-and-run cases were earlier prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code and would attract imprisonment for a year, which could be extended up to two years, with a fine of more than Rs 1,000 or both. In extreme cases, the police could also report such matters under Section 302, which is related to murder.
The All India Motor Transport Congress has argued that the new provisions can lead to the drivers being harassed, the Hindustan Times reported. Happy Sidhu, the president of the All Punjab Truck Operators’ Union, called the new law a “black law” that could destroy truckers in Punjab.
Protests against the provision have broken out in several states including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Protestors have blockaded roads and highways since Monday.
The All India Motor Transport Congress said that over 70% of the 1.2 lakh trucks, tempos and other heavy vehicles remained off the roads in the Mumbai metropolitan region on Monday because of the protest. This is likely to disrupt the distribution of fuel and other essential supplies.
An association of petrol station operators in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad said that the pumps in the district may run out of fuel by Tuesday, PTI reported. “Drivers of tankers that carry fuel from Panewadi [in Nashik] have called for [an] agitation and have stopped filling fuel,” said Aqeel Abbas, secretary of the association.
The Maharashtra government has ordered the police to ensure that the supply of petrol and diesel remains uninterrupted, The Indian Express reported.
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