Fuel shortage fear due to truck drivers' protest, long queues at petrol pumps

Long queues at petrol pumps were reported from several cities across India due to fuel shortage following protests and strike by truck drivers.

While in some cities people rushed to fill up their tanks in anticipation of a fuel shortage, there were reports of petrol and diesel running out at some some filling stations.

Truck drivers are protesting against a new law on hit and run accidents.

Under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaced the colonial era Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause a serious road accident by negligent driving and run away without informing the police or any official from the administration can face punishment of up to 10 years or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.

Truckers held protests against the provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run law road accident cases in parts of Rajasthan on Monday and movement of trucks and private bus operators were affected by it.

Operation of roadways buses was also affected which resumed after police intervention.

Truck drivers staged 'rasta roko' protests at many places in Maharashtra on Monday against the provision in the new penal law regarding hit-and-run road accident cases involving motorists.

The protests raised the spectre of a shortage of fuel at some places. Some petrol pumps in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district have already stopped functioning, an office-bearer of the petroleum dealers association said.

In Navi Mumbai, a policeman was injured when a group of truckers attacked him in Nerul in the morning hours, prompting police to use force to disperse the mob gathered on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway, an official said.

Truck drivers briefly blocked traffic on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Mira Bhayandar area in Thane district and hurled stones at police personnel, leaving a policeman injured. A police vehicle was damaged in stone pelting.

Stones were also thrown at some passing vehicles, he said.

Road blockade protests were also held in Solapur, Kolhapur, Nagpur and Gondia districts, officials said, adding that the situation in Navi Mumbai and other places is under control.

In Nashik district in north Maharashtra, tanker drivers stopped work and parked more than 1,000 vehicles in Panewadi village, home to fuel depots, on Monday.

Panewadi village in Nandgaon taluka has fuel depots of Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum and Indian Oil and LPG filling stations, and fuel from these depots is transported to various parts of the state.

(with PTI inputs)