With the truck drivers’ nationwide protest against a new penal provision in hit-and-run cases triggering panic buying of fuel and essential items in several states, the Center on Tuesday stepped in, assuring transporters that a decision on enforcing the stringent provisions in such cases under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita will be taken only after consultation with the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).
Following the assurance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) at a meeting Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla held with the transporters, AIMTC member Amrik Singh said Tuesday evening that no strike call had been given by his union. “The drivers were protesting against the new provisions. After the meeting, the issue has been resolved,” he said.
Transporters’ associations across the country have been protesting for the past two days against provisions under the new code, as per which any driver who causes the death of a person by rash and negligent driving and flees from the spot will be jailed for up to 10 years and/or fined.
Truck drivers protesting at SP Ring Road near Ahmedabad Baroda Express Way. (Express Photo)
There was no specific provision for hit-and-run cases in the Indian Penal Code and action


