Truckers’ stir: Will consider concerns with open heart, says government; transport body urges drivers to end protest
New Delhi, January 2
Amid ongoing truckers’ strike against new penal provisions for hit and run cases in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the government on Tuesday told representatives of All India Motor Transport Congress that it would consider concerns with an open heart.
The government and the representatives of All India Motor Transport Congress had a successful meeting with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The government told the representatives of the truckers’ body that the provisions had not yet come into effect.
“The office bearers were informed that these new laws and provisions have not yet come into force and if they have any concerns about section 106 (2) of BNS, the Government will consider it with an open heart,” a home ministry statement said after a two hour meeting.
“Government and All India Motor Transport Congress appealed to all the drivers to return to their respective jobs,” the ministry said.
Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla met ten representatives of the motorists association during a meeting on Tuesday evening.
Later, the association leaders said the government had assured consultations and asked protesters to call off their strike.
Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), 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.
The punishment in such cases was 2 years in the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The new provisions triggered strikes by drivers in some states, including Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Massive queues of customers were seen at fuel stations across these states on Tuesday as the truckers’ strike hit supplies and triggered a panic buying by people. — with PTI
