The All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation, a platform of various trade unions of drivers and transport workers, has warned that it will intensify the protests if the Centre does not withdraw Sections 104(1) and (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) immediately. The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), in a statement on January 3, supported the agitations of truck drivers and workers against the BNS provisions on the punishment to drivers involved in accidents.
Many driver unions on Wednesday said they would continue to protest even after the All India Motor Transport Congress called off the agitation.
The federation’s general secretary, R. Lakshmaiah, said that if the government was adamant, then the drivers would be forced to intensify the struggle. “The drivers in fatal accidents will be punished up to 10 years of jail and fine up to ₹10 lakh. Accident is an accident. There will be no intention at all. In fact the drivers are very much worried about the accidents. Almost all the drivers will pray their God before starting the vehicle every day that there should be no accident,” Mr. Lakshmaiah said.
He added that majority of the accidents were taking place due to defective road constructions, bad condition of roads, lack of segregation of roads, bad weather conditions etc. “Without addressing the real issues contributing to accidents, simply punishing the drivers will not yield results and it is inhuman,” he said. Workers would get ready for a “united and serious” struggle if the Centre did not withdraw the “draconian” provisions. The Union Home Ministry is in discussions with truck owners and drivers on the issue and had assured that the provisions will not be implemented without consultations.
CITU general secretary Tapan Sen said in a statement that the Centre did not consider the recommendation of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that Section 104(2) of the BNS could be reconsidered. Mr. Sen said given the Centre’s “scant respect to parliamentary democracy”, trade unions cannot expect the government to listen to any such collective wisdoms. He said motor workers across the country had been on struggle for the past three days against these draconian provisions. “The CITU extends its wholehearted support to the strike actions of road transport workers. Sensing the surging support for the strike among the vehicle-driving public and workers, the government has assured not to implement that punitive provision but has not uttered any word to revise the same,” he added.
Drivers to continue protest
Meanwhile, many driver unions from across the country on Wednesday said they would continue to protest even after the All India Motor Transport Congress called off the agitation after a meeting with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Several union leaders protesting at Jantar Mantar told The Hindu that they would start a “steering chodo andolan” from Thursday in all parts of the country, under which they would not drive any vehicles.
The protest comes in the light of the MHA’s yet to be implemented BNS, that has two Sections, Section 106 (1) and 106 (2), that state that in case of a “hit and run” case the former Section will imply imprisonment from 0-5 years and the latter Section will imply imprisonment of 0-10 years. According to government sources, the duration of the imprisonment has been increased because of the observations made by the Supreme Court. “Earlier, if a driver had accidentally hit someone and informed the police on time then he or she would face a lesser punishment of five years,” added the source.
Divendra Sharma, president of the Rashtriya Sarthi Sevak Foundation, Delhi, told The Hindu that on many occasions, the drivers flee to save their own lives. “A commercial driver, traversing different States, is much more likely to get lynched if he accidentally hits someone, and in order to save their lives, they flee the spot. No driver sets out on the roads to kill people,” added Mr. Sharma. He stressed that the law should only be made after speaking to stakeholders.
Another protester Vimalendra, president of Tamil Nadu’s Drivers’ Voice of rights consumer labour association, said that before drafting or passing such laws, lawmakers should visit several households of the drivers to understand their struggles. “A driver hardly makes enough money to put food on the plates of their family members and if a driver accidentally kills someone, then who will support these already economically backward families?” he asks.
Mr. Vimalendra says that if the law gets implemented it will “kill all the drivers”.
While expressing his anger over the yet-to-be-implemented law, Pradeep Mohanty, president of the Night Help Group Cab association in Odisha, said the government, instead of empowering the drivers with more rights like pension, accident cover and education for their children, was after their lives. “I make ₹8,000 a month after working for over 10 hours a day. I have no savings and my job doesn’t entail any perks to take care of my family. If I by mistake get into an accident who will take care of my family after the government sends me behind bars for 10 years?” asks Mr. Mohanty.
“The nation will come to a standstill when all drivers join the steering chodo andolan from Thursday,” added Mr. Vimalendra.
Apart from taking back the yet-to-be-implemented law, protesters are demanding a “drivers’ aayog” that legally helps drivers, provides them with perks such as provident fund, pension and ensures good education for their children. The drivers of trucks, cabs and autorickshaws intend to continue their nationwide protest until their needs are met, they said.
Nishit Goyal, spokesperson of Delhi Petrol Dealers’ Association, said, “For the last two days, supply of fuel to dealers was affected. But after the strike was called off, things have stabilised. There was no shortage or panic buying happening.”
