HT Digital,
Guwahati, Jan 8: The All Assam Motor Transport Association and Assam Motor Worker Association have threatened an indefinite shutdown of commercial vehicles carrying goods and passengers.
The threat is in response to State Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya’s commitment to enforce the ‘HIT AND RUN’ clauses under the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita law. The Associations had earlier withdrawn their 48-hour strike to 24 hours after a senior official from the transport department assured them that the law would not be implemented.
However, the Minister’s recent statement has left the council members unsettled. In a counter-challenge, the members said they would only take responsibility for the lives lost in road accidents if the Minister could assure them to return the life of a bus driver who died in a road accident.
They also demanded the closure of liquor stores in the state citing alcohol as a major cause of accidents. The Associations have asked for detailed clarification from the Minister and the transport department regarding their conflicting statements on the implementation of the law.
The Minister has invited the Associations for a discussion on the matter and insists that the Hit and Run clauses are essential to counter the increase in road accidents in India.
