Private bus drivers observe shutdown against hit-and-run provision under BNS in Haryana
The bus drivers gathered at Ambala Cantonment bus stand to register their protest, however, no memorandum was submitted to district or Haryana administration
Nearly 200 buses remained off-road in several districts of north Haryana as the operators and drivers of private buses observed a complete shutdown of services in Ambala, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and other districts opposing the new provision of ₹7 lakh penalty and 10-year jail term for hit-and-run cases under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), asking the central government to withdraw the provision claiming it could lead to their undue harassment.
The strike called by the transporters affected passengers in villages or small towns, where Haryana Roadways generally doesn’t have a designated stop. The bus drivers gathered at Ambala Cantonment bus stand to register their protest. However, no memorandum was submitted to district or state administration.
There are nearly 70-80 buses of the co-operative society operating daily from Ambala for Yamunanagar, Pipli, Panchkula, Patiala and other neighbouring towns.
A bus driver said he earns ₹9,000 per month, how he will be able to pay such a hefty fine. The drives vowed to shut services till government takes any decision on a roll-back of the new law.
Members of the truck union also staged a protest march in Karnal and Ambala against the law. Vikram from the Karnal Truck Union said they will submit a memorandum to the officials on their protest and a chakka jam could also be observed in coming days.
Day-long protest in Jind
Ranjeet Sharma, a bus driver, said, “In the new law a provision of 10-year sentence is wrong for drivers. In the dense fog sometimes accidents happen on roads and how can one fix the accountability of any driver? Moreover, The new law ensures five years of jail if any driver rushes any injured to a hospital but it has been observed that crowds harm them on the spot and sometimes it leads to mob lynching.
Another driver, Rajesh Kumar, said the protest will continue till the government scraps this law. “No one commits a crime of road accident deliberately. This law will create a ruckus and the government should rethink the law,” he added.
