Truckers returning to work after govt assurances on new hit-and-run law

Following government assurances and appeals, striking truck drivers are returning to work, promising a return to normalcy within a day or two, announced the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) on Wednesday.

The AIMTC’s intervention came on Tuesday after a two-day strike by truckers protesting the stringent penalties for hit-and-run cases introduced under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Tuesday assured the AIMTC that no decision regarding the law’s implementation would be taken before consulting the truckers’ body.

“We never called for a strike. Drivers are heeding the call to resume work, and normal operations will be restored soon,” clarified AIMTC general secretary N K Gupta. Gupta said the strike by truck drivers in some places was a spontaneous reaction to the new laws and “ the drivers need not worry now and should join the work and contribute to the growth of the economy”.

The impromptu strike, triggered by concerns about the harsher punishments, began Monday in several states. The BNS introduces stricter penalties for negligent drivers involved in serious accidents who flee the scene, including up to 10 years in prison or a Rs 7 lakh fine. These provisions mark a significant increase from the two-year maximum penalty under the existing Indian Penal Code.

Fuel shortages sparked by the strike caused long queues at petrol pumps in Punjab and parts of Haryana on Tuesday. However, supplies are normalising as replenishment efforts are underway.