Truck drivers across Karnataka will go on an
indefinite strike starting from January 17, announced the Federation of
Karnataka Lorry Owners’ Association on Saturday. The strike is to protest against the stringent laws for hit-and-run
cases under the new BharatiyaNyaySanhita (BNS)
Speaking to reporters, C Naveen Reddy, president of
the Federation of Karnataka Lorry Owners’ Association, said, “Though the union
government called us for discussions on this unruly law, the officials have not
given anything in writing. This is a
unilateral decision by the union government, and they did not consult us before
arriving at such a hasty decision.â€
Reddy also said that all truck drivers in the state
will support the strike and keep their vehicles off-road. “We already informed
all the truck drivers in the state, and we will be going on a strike. All heavy vehicles will go off-road from
January 17,†he added.
Truck drivers, taxi and bus operators started a nationwide strike to oppose the provision
of ₹7 lakh penalty and 10-year jail term for hit-and-run cases under the
newly passed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The All-India Motor Transport
Congress said that these provisions, which have yet to come into force, can
lead to undue harassment and must be recalled with immediate effect.
However, on January 2, the All India Motor Transport
Association (AIMTC) decided to end the nationwide truck drivers protests the
new hit-and-run law, after a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla. The government assured the members of the
transport body that the new laws have not been implemented yet and will only be
implemented after consultation with AIMTC.