Bhopal/Indore/Gwalior, Jan 1 (PTI) Drivers of commercial vehicles, including trucks and tankers, stopped work in parts of Madhya Pradesh on Monday and blocked roads at some places to protest against the provision in the new penal law regarding hit-and-run accident cases involving motorists.
Amid protests, people rushed to petrol pumps in various cities fearing the agitation would hit fuel supply.
Transport Minister Rao Uday Pratap Singh has appealed to the agitating drivers to discuss the issue with the government.
“Enacting a law doesn’t mean it was made to take penal action against them. They should sort out the issue through discussions. We will talk to them,” he said, adding that the government will ensure smooth movement of people and vehicles on priority.
Drivers also blocked the Mumbai-Agra National Highway and a few roads in Indore, affecting the movement of vehicles and essential commodities.
In Bhopal, drivers staged an agitation at Lalghati and stopped city buses and vehicles, and some protesters also gathered at Board Office Square in MP Nagar.
Bhopal district collector Ashish Singh said there is no shortage of diesel and petrol in the district.
Indore district administration also held a meeting with representatives of oil companies and petrol pump dealers’ association.
In the meeting, additional collector Gaurav Bainal asked oil companies and dealers to ensure a smooth supply of fuel and LPG.
The administration listened to the side of representatives of drivers and transport unions in the meeting and asked them not to be misled, a release 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 “This law (provision) is against the interest of drivers. Drivers don’t want to kill anybody, but road accidents happen. In such cases, people turn against the driver. We demand that the new law be amended,” said Pramod Sikarwar, one of the protesters at Board Office Square in Bhopal.
In Indore, buses were parked on the road at Gangwal bus stand as part of the protest.
“The new provision on hit-and-run cases will apply to all vehicles, not only to tankers or trucks. There are problems at some places, and people are scrambling to store fuel in panic,” said Ajay Singh, president of the Madhya Pradesh Petroleum Association, in Bhopal.
Fuel tankers were stuck in some places due to road blockades, but there is adequate stock of petrol and diesel at most of the petrol pumps, he said.
C L Mukati, chairman of the transport committee of All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), said drivers are angry over the stringent provisions suddenly introduced by the government in hit-and-run cases and they demand the withdrawal of these provisions.
“The government should focus on ensuring better road and transport systems like the ones in foreign countries before bringing in strict provisions along the lines of laws in other countries in hit-and-run accident cases,” he told PTI in Indore.
Earlier in the day, drivers blocked the Mumbai-Agra national highway in Dhar and Shajapur districts, resulting in long queues of vehicles. In another incident, drivers parked their buses at the intersection near Gangwal bus stand in Indore and staged a sit-in protest, inconveniencing people.
Police foiled the attempt by protesters to block the road at Indore’s Vijay Nagar intersection with a mild lathi-charge. The drivers forced people to get down from four-wheelers, a police official said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Hemant Chauhan said the police warned protesters, leading to the lifting of the road blockade.
“People who block the road and obstruct traffic are being identified, and appropriate legal action is being taken,” he said.
Meanwhile, a video surfaced on social media showing a ruckus being created by some protesting drivers on the road, alleging that a police officer took out a pistol to scare them.
Indore Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Umakant Chaudhary said this incident occurred in the Kshipra police station area on Sunday, but he rejected the allegation of the protesting drivers.
“The police officer was placing his pistol in a leather holster. His intention was not to scare the protesters,” he said.
In Gwalior, some drivers blocked a road in the Sikroda area on Sunday, following which the police registered a case at Bilaua police station.
Gwalior-based Sunil Maheshwari, president of the state unit of the All India Motor Transport Association (AIMTA), said truck or tanker owners are not on strike.
“Some tanker and truck drivers have parked their vehicles. They are being informed that the new laws are not just applicable to truck drivers but anyone who drives a vehicle. There won’t be any strike at this moment,” Maheshwari said.
Gwalior District Petrol Pump Association’s patron Deepak Sacheti said some tankers did not carry petrol or diesel from the fuel depot at Rairu for some time on Sunday.
Only 10 per cent of the drivers haven’t understood the new rules, but they are being convinced, Sacheti said, adding that there is no shortage of diesel and petrol in Gwalior.
Jabalpur Divisional Commissioner Abhay Verma held a meeting and directed the representatives concerned to ensure that the supply of diesel and petrol is not affected. He warned of strict action.
In the meeting, representatives of fuel supply associations agreed to supply fuel immediately, as per an official release.
“Under section 106 (2) of the Bharatiya Naya Sahita 2023, it is not necessary that the driver of the vehicle causing the accident should stop at the spot of the incident. He can even go some distance away and give the information of the accident to the police officer or magistrate over the phone or through other means,” as per the release. PTI ADU HWP COR ARU NSK
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