Truckers’ strike: Chaos at petrol pumps in Punjab
Truckers’ strike: Chaos at petrol pumps in Punjab
Chandigarh: Motorists queued up at fuel stations at many places in Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday over fears that stocks would run dry soon with truckers keeping off the roads to protest stricter punishments in the new law on hit-and-run cases.
In Haryana, private bus operators and some auto-rickshaw unions have also joined the protest against the new provision and some petrol pumps in Ambala reported a shortage of fuel. Chandigarh, too, saw vehicle owners panic-buying fuel.
Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which has replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause serious road accidents due to negligent driving and run away without informing police or the administration face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
Truckers in several states launched a three-day protest against the “stringent provision” on Monday. The situation in Punjab on the second day of the agitation prompted the petroleum dealers’ association to shoot off a letter to the government over the “panic-buying” situation in fuel stations affecting stock supplies.
Secretary general of the Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association Rajesh Kumar said there are nearly 4,000 petrol pumps in the state and fuel supply has been affected due to the agitation since Monday.
“As the news spread that truck drivers were holding protests and have gone on strike, people rushed to fuel stations…We are also not getting replenishment of stocks due to the strike…As these drivers are holding protests, they are also not allowing oil tankers to enter depots to get fuel stocks,” he alleged.
“If this situation continues, we are staring at a dry-out situation soon which prompted us to write a letter to the Punjab chief minister…,” Kumar added.
Ravinder Singh Khalsa, a truck driver, said they are demanding the withdrawal of the “stringent provisions” in the new law.
“The new law is against the interest of drivers. Nobody intentionally wants to injure or cause anyone’s death, but accidents happen. In such cases, people turn against the driver and sometimes the mob damages the vehicle and causes harm to the driver too. We demand that the new law be amended,” truck operator Sushil Kumar added.
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