Fuel crisis looms as truckers protest new hit-and-run law

Our Correspondent

Una, January 1

The Una Truck Drivers Union has called an indefinite strike against the Union Government’s enactment of new law against hit-and-run cases. Consequently, all trucks and oil tankers are off roads. Petrol stations in the district have either dried up or they are forced to ration fuel.

Under the new law, drivers can be jailed for up to 10 years for fleeing and not reporting a fatal accident. Earlier, the accused could be jailed only for up to two years under Section 304A of the IPC, which pertains to causing death by negligence.

Transportation of LPG cylinders from the bottling plant in Mehatpur has been stopped by the truckers, leading to low stock positions at various gas agencies in the district. Transportation of liquid fuel from Indian Oil depot at Pekhubela village in Una district, which supplies petrol and diesel besides kerosene to Himachal Pradesh, parts of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, has also been stopped by the truckers.

Jagdish Thakur, a petrol pump owner in Rampur village near Una city, said diesel stock has dried up, while only about 2,300 litres of petrol is still available, which they have kept as reserve for ambulances, fire fighting and police vehicles besides those owned by government.

Onkar Nath, another petrol pump owner in Una city, said the fuel tanks at most of the petrol stations in the district were low on fuel and most of them were forced to ration fuel to the people. He said while the transport union has assured to transport fuel to petrol stations in the district on Tuesday, but he was not very hopeful. Rajinder Saini, a vegetable and fruit wholeseller at the Una Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), said truckers have informed them that only those trucks, which have been loaded at different locations, will be allowed to reach the APMC and that no fresh trucks will be loaded till the ‘draconian law’ is withdrawn.

Stringent punishment now

• Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, which replaced the colonial era 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 accused could be jailed only for up to two years under Section 304A of the IPC, which pertains to causing death by negligence

Tankers to ply today

• It is learnt that the petrol station owners had a meeting with truck operators during which it was decided that the tankers will ply on Tuesday to replenish fuel in Una district with priority being given to stations located in Una city
• But there will be no supply on Wednesday. The Truck Driver’s Union also said only tankers attached to the union would be transporting fuel and that the tankers owned by pump owners should stay off roads

Repeal ‘black law’

Drivers do not want to cause accidents intentionally, but at times, they fear of being manhandled or thrashed by a mob if they try to take the injured to hospital. Accidents are also caused by many other factors such as fog or black spots. So the government must repeal the “black law”. — Shiv Kumar, president of Una truck drivers union

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