Truckers’ protest hits India hard

Motorists queued up at fuel stations at many places in Punjab and Haryana over fears that stocks would run dry soon due to protest against stricter punishments in the new law on hitandrun casesIn Haryana private bus operators and some autorickshaw unions have also joined the protest and some petrol pumps in Ambala reported a shortage of fuel Chandigarh the common capital of the twin states too saw vehicle owners panicbuying fuelUnder the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita BNS which has replaced the colonialera Indian Penal Code drivers who cause serious road accidents due to negligent driving and run away without informing police or the administration face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakhTruckers in several states launched a threeday protest against ldquostringent provisionrdquo The situation in Punjab on the second day of the agitation prompted the petroleum dealers association to shoot off a letter to the government over the ldquopanic buyingrdquo situation in fuel stations affecting stock suppliesFuel stations turn away motorists in HPFuel pumps at many places in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday were turning away motorists saying they have run out of stock as petrol and diesel were not being transported because of the truckersrsquo strike Most petrol pumps in Dharamshala KulluManali Bilaspur Hamirpur Chamba Una and Shimla were turning away customers while massive queues were seen outside the ones still in operationIn Manali Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu however said the situation was under control but it could worsen if the strike continued Responding to a question Sukhu also said that the Union government needed to understand the demands of the truck driversPassengers stranded fuel pumps crowdedA strike by truck drivers has affected the movement of nearly five lakh vehicles in Madhya Pradesh Many passengers were seen stranded at the Inter State Bus Terminus ISBT in state capital Bhopal as drivers did not operate the intercity buses on Tuesday morningSome commuters complained of facing difficulties in travelling from Bhopal to Indore Huge crowds were also seen at petrol pumps in Bhopal Indore and other cities to refuel their vehicle tanks amid the driversrsquo agitationSome people claimed they could not get their vehicles refuelled as petrol pumps ran dry However the administration in various cities in MP said there was no shortage of fuel at stationsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever