Bhopal: Drivers of commercial vehicles, including trucks and tankers, stopped work in parts of Madhya Pradesh on Monday to protest the new law regarding hit-and-run cases.
While road blockades were seen in some places in the state due to protests by drivers, long queues were witnessed at petrol pumps due to panic over fuel supply.
In Bhopal, drivers staged an agitation at Lalghati and stopped city buses and vehicles, and some protestors also gathered at Board Office Square in MP Nagar.
As per the new law, hit-and-run cases can attract a 10-year jail term and a fine of Rs 7 lakh, said Pramod Sikarwar, who was protesting at Board Office Square.
“The new law is against the interest of drivers. Drivers don’t want to kill anybody, but accidents happen. In such cases, people turn against the driver. We demand that the new law be amended,” he said.
In Indore, buses were parked on the road at Gangwal bus stand as part of the protest.
Meanwhile, the protests caused panic among people as they queued up at petrol pumps, fearing that the agitation may affect fuel supply.
“The new law in hit-and-run cases will apply to all vehicles and not to tankers or trucks alone. There are problems at some places and people are scrambling to store fuel in panic,” said Ajay Singh, president of the Madhya Pradesh Petroleum Association.
Fuel tankers were stuck in some places due to road blockades, but there is adequate petrol and diesel at most of the petrol pumps, he said.
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