NEW DELHI: The two-day-old truckers strike in parts of the country ended late on Tuesday night after the Centre assured the protesters that the enhanced punishment in hit-and-run cases under the revamped law will be placed on hold for now.
Amrit Lal Madan, president of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) late on Tuesday night appealed to the truck drivers to resume their services, saying the Centre has assured to look into the demands. The appeal came after his meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla.
The chakka jam by truck drivers in various parts of the country had crippled transportation of essential commodities and led to panic buying. Under the recently enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which is set to replace the Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause serious road accidents due to negligent driving and run away without informing authorities face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
Home secretary Ajay Bhalla, in his appeal, said: “Before implementing the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita clause on hit-and-run, we will discuss it with AIMTC representatives and them take the final call.” Following the strike, there was a 10-15% jump in the prices of vegetables in the Delhi wholesale market as supplies were disrupted.
Rajasthan witnessed stray violence with a mob burning a police vehicle and pelting stones at security personnel, leaving three injured in Kekri district on Monday night. The Congress supported the protest, saying the misuse of the legislation could lead to an extortionist network and organised corruption.
Panic buying in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh
More than 2,000 petrol pumps in Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh ran out of fuel due to panic buying amid concern over the availability of essential supplies like vegetables, milk and LPG cylinder refills
Public transport hit in a big way in Uttarakhand
Public transport was suspended for the second consecutive day in Uttarakhand due to the protest. There were long queues of vehicles at fuel stations. Some pumps in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, too, ran out of stock