Veggies dearer, petrol pumps run dry amid truckers' strike

Agitators reportedly call off protest late night on Tuesday after talks with govt

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Vegetable prices inched upards and petrol pumps dried up across India on the second day of the nationwide strike called by truckers and transporters against provisions of the new penal law on hit-and-run cases, even as reports late on Tuesday said the agitation had been called off.

Earlier in the day, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla chaired a meeting with truckers to break the impasse.

According to the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), drivers who cause serious road mishaps due to negligent driving and run away without informing the police or the administration can face punishment of up to 10 years or a fine of ₹7 lakh.

Under the IPC, the punishment in such cases was for two years. Sources said the provision was made more stringent following a Supreme Court directive. They clarified that the law states that if a person immediately reports an accident caused by reckless driving to a police officer or magistrate, the individual would be awarded a lesser sentence. The law is applicable to all drivers.