Truckers protest against new 'hit and run' provision in Maha, Chhattisgarh

Truck drivers staged 'rasta roko' protests at many places in Maharashtra on Monday against the stringent punishment and "steep" fine prescribed for motorists under the hit-and-run provision in the new penal law.

In Navi Mumbai, a policeman was injured when a group of truckers attacked him in Nerul in the morning hours, prompting police to use force to disperse the mob gathered on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway, an official said.

Truck drivers tried to block traffic on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Mira Bhayandar area in Thane district and hurled stones at police personnel, leaving a policeman injured. A police vehicle was damaged in stone pelting.

Road blockade protests were also held in Solapur, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Gondia districts, officials said, adding that the situation in Navi Mumbai and other places is under control.
In Nashik district in north Maharashtra, tanker drivers stopped work and parked more than 1,000 vehicles in Panewadi village, home to fuel depots, on Monday.
Panewadi village in Nandgaon taluka has fuel depots of Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Indian Oil and LPG filling stations, and fuel from these depots is transported to various parts of the state.
If the agitation is not called off, many fuel stations in Nashik district will run dry as they are not allowing dealers to fill their tankers. The gates have been closed and not a single tanker was allowed to carry fuel," Nashik District Petrol Dealers Association president Bhushan Bhosale said.
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.
"A policeman was injured when a group of motorists attacked him near NRI police station in Nerul in Navi Mumbai. When police personnel reached the spot and tried to speak to truckers about the new law, some of them became violent, forcing us to use force to bring the situation under control," a police official said.
He said protesters hurled stones at police personnel and used wooden sticks to attack them.
At least 40 truck drivers were detained, the official said, adding that six persons involved in beating up the policeman have been identified.
In Kalamboli area, also in Navi Mumbai, at least 400 people gathered on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway and staged a rasta roko for the withdrawal of the new provision in the penal law in the afternoon, police said.
Similar agitations were also held on the Uran-Nhava Sheva Road in Raigad district on the border of Mumbai.
In Mira Bhayandar suburb of Thane district, seven truckers have been detained and the process to register a case is underway, he added.
Meanwhile, an association of petrol pump dealers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city in Marathwada region said fuel pumps in the district may go dry by Tuesday if the situation does not normalise.
"Drivers of tankers that carry fuel from Panewadi (in Nashik) have called for agitation and have stopped filling fuel. Around 900 to 1,200 tankers carry fuel from depots of oil companies and transport it to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Dhule, Jalgaon and other districts," Aqeel Abbas Secretary of Petroleum Dealers Association told PTI.
Some petrol pumps in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar have already stopped functioning, he said.
One of the protesting tanker drivers, Syed Wajed said, "As per the new law, the hit-and-run cases can attract up to 10 years jail term and a fine of Rs 7 lakh. We are drivers, how can we pay such a big fine amount?" Amid protests by truckers, the Congress on Monday demanded that the Centre withdraw the provision on hit-and-run cases in the new penal law.
"This provision is unjust and harsh on motorists. Truck drivers, car drivers and even two-wheeler riders are afraid to drive because of this provision," Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole told reporters in Mumbai.
He alleged that "146 MPs" from the Opposition camp were suspended from Parliament in the recent session to clear this "oppressive black law".
"The Congress will support truck drivers protesting against the new provision under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita," he said.
In Nagpur district, hundreds of protesters blocked the Nagpur-Bhandara Road by staging protests in Khapri, Warud, Kalamna and Pardi areas, officials said. The agitations were held under the aegis of an organisation supported by Shiv Sena (UBT).
A Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said the legal provision was brought in hastily and without holding discussions with transporters' organisations.
"The punishment is very harsh in the new law. It should be stayed," he added. Also, drivers of commercial buses and truckers on Monday stopped work and staged protests at several places in Chhattisgarh demanding the withdrawal of the provision in the new penal law regarding hit-and-run accident cases involving motorists.
The protests caused inconvenience to several commuters and also affected the transportation of goods to an extent.
People queued up at petrol pumps in various cities fearing that the agitation may hit fuel supply in coming days.
Drivers of more than 12,000 private buses across the state stopped work on Monday, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded at bus stations in Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, and Rajnandgaon among other cities. Stranded passengers were seen trying to make alternative travel arrangements.
Many passengers at the inter-state bus station in Bhatagaon in Raipur rushed to hire private taxis and auto-rickshaws to reach their destinations.
"Around 1 lakh drivers, including those engaged in operating buses, trucks, transport and school buses, have launched a protest on Monday as a part of 'steering chhodo andolan'," Chhattisgarh Vahan Chalak Sangh convener Jitendra Shukla told PTI.
He said "chakka jam" protests will be held in various districts beginning Tuesday against the new provision on hit-and-run accident cases.
"Protests will continue until this provision is revoked," he added. Truckers also protested across Gujarat as well against stringent jail and fine norms in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for hit-and-run cases, officials said.  
Officials said protesters set up blocks on highways passing through Kheda, Valsad, Gir Somnath, Bharuch and Mehsana districts by parking vehicles.
The Mehsana-Ambaji highway in Mehsana and Ahmedabad-Indore highway in Kheda were blocked for some time after protesters placed burning tyres on the arterial routes.
Local police rushed to the sites and cleared the blockades, officials informed.
A video showing a long queue of parked trucks on Ahmedabad-Vadodara highway near Kanera village in Kheda was widely circulated on social media, with those uploading them asking commuters to avoid the route due to a 10-kilometre traffic jam as a result of the protests.
Kheda police reached the spot and convinced the truck drivers to end the blockade in the interest of other commuters, officials said.
An official handling the NHAI's 'Highway Helpline' said national highway-48 and the Expressway connecting Ahmedabad and Vadodara were cleared by police and there was no blockade afterwards.
Protesting truck drivers also shouted slogans against the new law on highways in Bharuch, Gir Somnath and Valsad, officials said.
Protesting trucker Bhaiya Khan said the fine amount was very harsh. "If someone had that much money, he would start a business, why would he be a truck driver," Khan claimed.
Such sporadic protests will continue till January 3, he claimed.
Meanwhile, Tapan Sharma, past president of the Ahmedabad Motor Transport Association, claimed the protests were spontaneous.
"The association has not given any strike call. Drivers are doing it on their own as they have apprehensions about the new law. They shout slogans and then move on. These sporadic protests have delayed the delivery of goods," Sharma said.
However, business has not been affected so far as drivers are doing their work despite protests, he added.