<
div id=”pcl-full-content”>As the strike by truck and bus drivers threatened to jeopardise normal life in the city, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday directed all District Collectors to hold meetings with the striking drivers to resolve the impasse and ensure people are not hassled. Meanwhile, the opposition parties in the state came out in support of the strike and demanded changes in the law that proposes 10 years’ jail term and fine of Rs 10 lakh for hit-and-run cases under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
An official said that the government is planning to discuss the issue in the state Cabinet to be held on Wednesday and state Industries Minister Uday Samant has appealed to the striking drivers to initiate a dialogue with the state government and Centre.
<
div class=”ev-meter-content ie-premium-content-block”><img loading=”lazy” decoding=”async” src=”https://data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg” data-lazy-src=”https://data.indianexpress.com/election2019/track_1x1.jpg” alt=”” width=”1px” height=”1px” “/>
Samant said the government will resolve the issue of the drivers after holding a dialogue with them and find a middle ground. “The Centre and the state government will ensure the issue is resolved. In the end, this is for heavy vehicles which are used to transport milk and vegetables, other such goods and even essential commodities. So the truck drivers’ organisations must keep this in mind. The Centre and the state government will surely step in to break the impasse. The truckers must adopt a patient approach and understand the situation. Their point must be conveyed to the Centre and the state but they must not take any steps that will hurt the people,” Samant said.
A notice board at a petrol pump reads ‘No Stock’ amid protests by truck drivers in many parts of the country, in Nagpur. (PTI)
“They should not take any step that will create a law and order situation,” Samant added.
State School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar said that school bus drivers must not take part in the truck drivers’ strike. “This issue can be resolved through dialogue and people’s safety is also equally important. We have even taken up this issue in the Cabinet. The hit-and-run subject can be discussed but heavy vehicle drivers must also follow traffic rules to save lives. School bus drivers must not take part in this and play with the education of children,” Kesarkar said.
Maharashtra’s opposition parties on Tuesday, however, extended support to the strike called by truck drivers.
“This is yet another dark law brought by the Indian government without giving due consideration to reality. How can a driver pay such a huge amount in fine? What is the logic behind extending jail term by blindly blaming the driver alone,” asked Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar.
Wadettiwar said that the central government has a habit of bringing laws without doing research and holding discussions with stakeholders.
Opposition NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad said that the central government has kept no provision to investigate the reason behind the accident and instead put the blame on drivers. “The government is working only by scaring the people about the jail term. How can only drivers be blamed for accidents? This is an extremely one-sided law and needs to be changed,” Awhad said.
About Post Author
