The Mumbai Police on Tuesday appealed city residents against thronging petrol, diesel and CNG pumps for 'panic buying' the petroleum products in the wake of truck drivers' protest against new hit and run law.
"Request not to throng Petrol / Diesel/CNG pumps and indulge into panic buying. Don’t believe in rumours. There is enough stock available in Mumbai and we are providing adequate security to the tankers supplying petroleum products in Mumbai. Please spread the word," the Mumbai police said in a post on X.
Panic gripped city over fear of running out of fuel
The appeal came in the wake of petrol pumps witnesssing long queues on Tuesday as people came to fill up their vehicle tanks fearing shortage of fuel.
Chetan Modi, the president of the Petrol Dealers Association in Mumbai, informed PTI that the ongoing drivers' agitation since Monday has disrupted the fuel supply to petrol pumps.
"Petrol pumps started getting dry since yesterday. If we won't get the supply, most of the pumps will run out of fuel from today," Modi said.
Mumbai is home to approximately 200 petrol pumps. Modi mentioned visiting the depots of oil marketing companies at Sewri in Mumbai. However, he noted that despite police security, drivers were obstructing the movement of any fuel tanker from the facility. The Sewri-based depots of oil marketing firms typically refuel nearly 180 tankers daily, according to Modi.
Anil Garg, the president of the School Bus Association in Mumbai, informed PTI that numerous fuel pumps experienced lengthy queues of vehicles waiting for refueling.
Truck drivers' strike against new law
The nationwide transportation strike continued into its second day on Tuesday (January 2), leading to extended lines at petrol pumps due to disrupted fuel supply throughout the country. The three-day strike, initiated by truck, bus, and tanker drivers, aims to oppose the rigorous imprisonment and fine provisions introduced in the recently implemented Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) concerning hit-and-run incidents.
In the new law that replaced the old Indian Penal Code, if a driver causes a serious accident by careless driving and then leaves without telling the police or any government official, they can be punished with up to 10 years in jail or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
The specific section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita reads, “Whoever causes the death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine."
Private transport operators argue that the law discourages drivers and might result in unfair punishments. They also contend that drivers could face the risk of mob violence when trying to transport the injured to hospitals, and they advocate for the repeal of the law.
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