HAPUR (Uttar Pradesh): With the nationwide transportation strike against the new law on hit-and-run cases entering its second day on Tuesday, General VK Singh (Retd), Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways said that the new laws have been made to alert the vehicle drivers and for the safety of the passengers.
"Passengers should not face problems. The new law has been devised to help the passengers. Earlier drivers used to run away, now a new law has been made to alert the drivers and for the safety of the passengers," VK Singh said in Hapur on Tuesday.
Protests have broken out in several states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, against the high penalties for hit-and-run accidents in Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which is set to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code.
Under the BNS, which replaced the 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.
Earlier, the punishment in such cases was two years in the IPC.
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.
On the protest by transport associations, and drivers against the new law on hit-and-run cases, All India Motor and 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."
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"The protest has been announced by the members of All India Motor and Goods Transport Association. There should be a discussion on this issue. A misleading situation is created now. People are not completely aware of the new law", Rajendra Kapoor further added.
Meanwhile, transporters and drivers staged protests across states. Private bus and truck drivers on Monday enforced a 'chakka jam' (traffic jam) across the state of Madhya Pradesh in protest against a new hit-and-run law.
A similar protest also broke out in the Chhattisgarh capital, Raipur, where bus drivers staged a demonstration against the new central law.
People at petrol pumps in Nagpur faced long queues due to protests staged on Tuesday.