A day after oil tanker and truck drivers called off their strike, scores of drivers under the banner of the Tricity Cab Association struck work on Wednesday against harsher penalties for hit-and-run offences in the new crime code.
Drivers of nearly 500 taxis that ply in the tricity of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali struck work and parked the cabs in the ground near Yadavindra Public School (YPS) Chowk in Mohali, since 9am.
Also read: Chandigarh, Panchkula ration fuel as residents push panic button
Vikram Singh Pundir, the president of the Tricity Cab Association, said: “No one wants to drive cabs with such a stringent law. Drivers can’t pay ₹7 lakh or face 10-year jail for an unintentional accident. The law has been signed by the President and thus we demand that the government scrap it following the proper procedure immediately and give us in writing that our drivers won’t be in legal trouble.”
Pundir said that the government should rather come up with a helpline at which drivers can report the accident and get details of the police station where they can surrender.
{{/usCountry}}Pundir said that the government should rather come up with a helpline at which drivers can report the accident and get details of the police station where they can surrender.
{{/usCountry}}Vikas Kumar, a cab driver in Mohali, said: “This is a poor decision by the government as only drivers will be held responsible for deaths in accidents even when people could be responsible.”
Cab drivers said that they may extend their one-day protest if the administration does not accept their demands of initiating talks with the government on their behalf.