Long lines have formed outside gas stations as a result of the truck drivers’ continuous protests in Maharashtra and Punjab over the new hit-and-run law, which has caused panic buying among riders of two and four wheels. Images from Nagpur, Thane, Jalgaon, and Dhulia in Maharashtra showed long lines at gas stations as drivers awaited their turn to fill up their cars’ tankers.
Videos showed local police in Nagpur rushing to the scenes and removing the blockades.
Images from Punjab’s Amritsar and Patiala showed people queuing outside gas stations while truckers demonstrated against the new penal law’s clause on hit-and-run laws.
The managers at certain gas stations in the Nagpur district have reported that they may have to post a “No Petrol” notice if the situation doesn’t improve. certain of the stations have already ran out of stock. On Monday, tanker drivers in Nashik halted operations and parked over a thousand cars in Panewadi village, which is the location of gasoline tanks.
Three gas stations in Thane have closed due to a gasoline shortage.
According to news agency PTI, the Nashik District Petrol Dealers Association has issued a warning that many of the district’s gas stations will run out of fuel if the unrest is not put an end to.
150 gas stations in Mumbai received fuel last night. But because of panic buying, people are purchasing more gas than is necessary, which makes it challenging to keep the gas supply in check. If there isn’t any gasoline available in the upcoming days, it will be challenging, according to Mumbai’s Petrol Pump Association dealer Keyur Parikh.
According to PTI, a group representing gas station vendors in the Marathwada area warned that if things don’t improve by Tuesday, the district’s fuel supply may run out.
On Monday, motorists in Thane obstructed traffic on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and pelted police officers with stones, resulting in one officer being hurt.
Similar incidents occurred in Navi Mumbai yesterday, according to police, who told PTI that a policeman was hurt after a gang of trucks attacked him and forced the police to use force to break up the crowd.
A gang of men brandishing sticks at the policeman and chasing him off are captured on camera during the altercation. On the Raigad district’s Uran-Nhava Sheva Road, which borders Mumbai, similar protests were also staged.
Punjab situation not different from Maharashtra:
Long lines could be seen at gas stations throughout Punjab, not only in Maharashtra. Due to panic buying as truck drivers extended their strikes for a second day in a row, nearly all gas stations in Amritsar ran out of fuel.
The government and the truck organization, in the opinion of the locals, ought to resolve the matter.
Drivers who cause a significant road accident by irresponsible driving and flee without reporting the incident to the police or other administration official may face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of ₹ 7 lakh under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which took the place of the Indian Penal Code from the colonial era.