GUWAHATI, Jan 5: Transporters’ unions of Assam, whose strike against the new penal law on hit-and-run cases brought commercial vehicle services to a standstill on Friday, decided to call off their agitation.
The strike will be withdrawn at 5 am on Saturday.
The decision to call off the 48-hour strike was taken following discussions with the state government.
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“The transporters’ unions have agreed to withdraw the strike from 5 am tomorrow,” the senior official, privy to the talks, said.
“We have assured them that their demands will be placed before top authorities and their interests would not be compromised,” he added.
The strike had been called by the joint forum of transporters’ unions from 5 am on Friday till 5 am on Sunday against the new penal law on hit-and-run cases.
Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which is set to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), drivers causing serious road accidents due to negligent driving and running away without informing the police or the administration can face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
The punishment for such offences was two years under the IPC.
All commercial vehicles, including school buses and app-based taxis, have been off the roads since morning in response to the strike.
In several places, including Guwahati, Tinsukia, Tezpur, Gohpur, Bijni and Bongaigaon, the protestors came out on the streets and raised slogans against the government.
In Bongaigaon, several drivers burnt their driving licenses maintaining that with the stringent measures proposed under the new law, they will not be able to sustain in their current profession.
In some places, including Guwahati and Dibrugarh, strike supporters were seen preventing vehicles, including private cars, from plying on the roads.
Office-goers had a difficult time reaching their workplaces as buses, taxis and app-based cabs were off the roads, abiding by the strike call.
Long queues were seen at petrol pumps across the state, with people lining up to fill fuel tanks amid fears of supply crunch.
Meanwhile, the state government has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance (Assam) Act, 1980, which prohibits strikes in the state for six months from the date of issue of the notification until further orders.
The order, issued on Thursday by the additional chief secretary of the Home and Political Department, prohibits strikes by “officers, workmen, contract labourers, tankers, drivers and also khalasis involved in the service in the Oil and/or gas sector”. (PTI)
