Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla Tuesday said the decision to invoke a new penal provision related to hit-and-run cases, which has sparked protests by truckers, will be taken only after consultation with the All India Motor Transport Congress.
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 provisions of the recently enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a senior government functionary said on Tuesday.
The newly enacted laws are -- the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act
Petrol pumps in many cities witnessed long queues on Tuesday as people came to fill up their vehicle tanks fearing shortage of fuel amid the protest by truck drivers against a provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run accident cases involving motorists.
'The government never asked any transport association before making this law on hit and run cases.' 'MPs only clapped to Amit Shah's new law and never questioned him about this law.' 'Are these MPs not bothered about the lives of drivers?'
The opposition National Democratic Alliance and the Left parties called a Bharat Bandh on July 5 to protest the recent hike in fuel prices.
All the operations of All India Motor Transport Congress will be shut and trucks will go off the road from April 5, AIMTC President G R Shanmugappa said in New Delhi.
Earlier, AIMTC had warned that 75 lakh trucks and 40 lakh buses will stop plying from April 1 if demands, including withdrawal of hike in diesel prices and rollback of hike in third party insurance premium, were not met.
Threaten similar action on competitors if tyre prices aren't cut.
This will have an impact on inflation as everyone in the value chain passes on the costs.
The truckers organisation, All India Motor Transport Congress has demanded lower toll tax or nearly 62 lakh (6.2 million) trucks would go off roads from August 6, bringing movement of goods throughout the country to a halt.
Seeking a high-level probe either by the CBI or a parliamentary panel into the toll collection policy, AIMTC alleged that 'arbitrary' revision in toll rates in 2008 has resulted in truckers paying a hefty Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) a day as toll tax.
Transporters across the country will go ahead with their planned indefinite nation-wide strike from January 5 as the second meeting between truckers and transport ministry officials in as many days failed to yield any results.
The AIMTC, which had gone on strikes to protest diesel price hikes in the past, said it will hold a meeting of its national members on July 12 to chalk out its future course of action.
The nationwide indefinite transport strike called by the All India Motor Transport Congress, since Wednesday, was called off early Friday morning with transporters and the transport ministry reaching a consensus on several issues raised by the goods transporters.
The ongoing truckers' strike to protest increased highway toll tax and duty structure on diesel entered its second day today, crippling movement of goods in various parts of the country.
The eight-day-old strike by transporters has been called off after negotiations between the government and the representatives of the All India Motors Transport Congress (AIMTC).
Failing to break ground with the government, the agitating truckers turned to other political parties for support, beginning with a meeting with CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat and sending a letter to the leader of the opposition, L K Advani, besides UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Meanwhile, prices of food items, including coarse cereals, vegetables and fruits, are reported to have remained steady in the wholesale market across the country.
According to industry leaders, the ongoing strike is also going to dampen production and also hit the timely delivery of goods to the customers. The transporters are mainly demanding that diesel prices be reduced by at least Rs 10 per litre, a uniform VAT of 4 per cent on the fuel, withdrawal of service tax on truck operators and rationalisation of tyre prices.
The government has given clear instructions to the state governments to take necessary steps to ensure smooth transportation of essential commodities. "If the situation demands, the law of the land will prevail. The law of the land says the permit of truck operators could be revoked if the situation demands. The government is committed to provide full support to the state governments," said Brahm Dutt, secretary, ministry of road transport and highways.
Transporters went on an indefinite strike from midnight after their talks with the government failed for the third time on Sunday.
The finance ministry is considering meeting a key demand of truckers by easing procedural issues and raising the abatement on service tax.
Movement of goods over road is set to get paralysed as more than 4 million trucks will keep off the road, beginning Wednesday, as part of the nationwide indefinite strike called by the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC).
All India Motor Transport Congress, apex body of all truckers' associations commanding over 48 lakh (4.8 million) trucks across the country, is demanding lowering of diesel prices by Rs 10 per litre. Other demands include provision for free movement of all trucks all over the country without any national/state permits and fixation of minimum freight in view of high input costs.
Truck owners throughout the country will observe a token one-day strike on Tuesday to oppose the recent hike in petrol and diesel prices.
The All India Motor Transport Congress on Saturday called off their seven-day old 'indefinite' truckers strike after it reached an agreement with government on the contentious issue of service tax and various other demands.
Talks between truck operators and Government failed tonight and truckers decided to continue the strike to press their demand for an assurance from Finance Minister P Chidambaram on lifting of the proposed 10 per cent service tax.
Transportation of essential commodities like milk, gas cylinders and medicine within the state has been exempted from the strike.
The All India Motor Transport Congress, which is heading the ongoing truckers' strike, has threatened to intensify their stir.
Prices of essential commodities are likely to rise because of the strike, which has been called to protest against frequent hikes in diesel prices and value added tax.
The truck operators, who are on strike since Saturday to protest a new service tax, are likely to meet finance ministry officials on Thursday in a bid to end their agitation that has disrupted movement of goods and pushed up prices.\n\n\n\n
Thousands of truckers stayed off the roads for the fifth day on Wednesday to protest a new service tax, disrupting movement of goods and pushing up prices.
Thousands of truckers stayed off the roads for the fourth day on Tuesday to protest levy of a new tax, disrupting movement of goods and food-items that pushed the prices upwards.
The nationwide indefinite strike by truckers, demanding stable fuel prices and fewer levies, entered the tenth day on Wednesday amidst reports of a vertical split in the striking union.
The nationwide indefinite strike by truckers, demanding stable fuel prices and fewer levies, entered the ninth day on Tuesday amidst reports of oil tankers joining the strike in few states.
Many Indian ports were paralysed on Wednesday and food prices nationwide started soaring as a truckers strike dragged into its third day.
The nationwide, indefinite strike by truckers, demanding stable fuel prices and fewer levies, entered the second day on Tuesday - threatening to cripple the country's delivery network.
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