With truckers on an indefinite strike in protest against the harsher penalties for hit-and-run cases under a new law, motorists in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh were seen queuing for fuel on Tuesday even as several petrol pump owners made it clear that they already had run out of fuel supplies.
The petrol pump owners’ claim runs counter to a statement by a representative of the Punjab Petrol Pump Owners Association that fuel was supplied to about 160 petrol pumps in Punjab last evening (Monday). Attributing the shortage to panic buying, a fuel station owner said, “We are witnessing an immediate shortage though a one-time fuel supply lasts for three to five days in the normal course.”
Monty Sehgal, the spokesperson, said, “Normally, a filling station would have a fuel stock that lasts for three to five days. We have already exhausted the stock due to panic buying by commuters in the wake of the strike call given by the truckers on December 31. Since the drivers are also protesting against the new law under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita fuel, supply has come to a complete halt. As a result, we are left with no fuel.”
Besides truckers, private bus owners and auto-rickshaw unions in the region, especially from neighbouring Haryana, have joined the protest against the new law. As a result, fuel shortage has been reported even at several petrol pumps from Ambala.
Jasvir Singh Gill, president of the Chandigarh Transporters’ Association, said, “We too want the strike to end. Office-bearers of our parent body will meet Central government officials in the evening and we are hoping to find a resolution of the issue soon.”
He added that the drivers are quite scared of the new law enforced by the government. If that was not the case, such a situation would not have arisen.
Notably, under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a driver, if found guilty of negligent driving and flees the scene of the accident, could face 10 years imprisonment or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.