NEW DELHI: Truckers’ body All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) on Tuesday said the government has assured that new laws concerning hit-and-run cases will be implemented after discussion with its members and urged truck drivers to call off their strike.
The talks were held after protests continued in many states on the second day, which threatened to impact the supply of essentials and led to panic buying of fuel in several places.
A government source said that the issue has been resolved after the meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday evening. “The issue has been resolved,” the source said, while stressing that the new provisions under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which proposes stringent up to 10 years jail term and Rs 7 lakh fine, have not been implemented yet.
The punishment in such cases was 2 years in the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC). About 2,000 petrol pumps, mostly in western and northern India, ran out of fuel stocks due to the strike. While State-owned oil firms had topped up tanks at most petrol pumps, some in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab ran out of stock due to heavy rush.
There were concerns that essential supplies of vegetables, fruits and milk too might be affected if the three-day strike is extended.
Earlier, a senior government functionary said a driver who accidentally hits a person and subsequently informs the police or takes the victim to the nearest hospital will not be prosecuted under the stringent provision of the BNS.