Commercial drivers' strike continues in Odisha; fuel & milk supply affected

With the strike of commercial drivers entering third day in Odisha, passenger bus services, and transportation of petroleum products and milk were affected across the state.

The Odisha Drivers' Mahasangha announced continuance of its stir even as the state transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur expressed optimism that the agitation would end soon.

Drivers across the country were on strike over the recently enacted hit-and-run' Law under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), which replaces the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Mahasangh is part of the All-India strike.

"Our strike will continue as discussions are still underway with both the state and Central governments," Mahasangha president Prashant Menduli told reporters.

The drivers also said that there was a provision for imprisonment of two years under Section 304 of the IPC for accidents.

As per the provisions in the BNS, drivers who cause a serious road accident by negligent driving and run away without informing police or any official from the administration can face up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.

Meanwhile, the driver's strike has severely affected transportation of petrol, diesel and cooking gas.

The petrol dealers fear that the state is likely to experience scarcity of fuel if the strike is not withdrawn soon.

"As the consumers resorted to panic buying, 20 per cent more petrol & diesel was sold in the state on Friday. A similar situation may have happened on Saturday. Loading of the essential fuels has decreased also by 75 per cent on Friday due to the trike," said Sanjay Lath, General Secretary, Utkal Petroleum Dealers' Association.

Dispatch of fuel-carrying vehicles from Paradip depot has been stopped on Saturday, said Lath.

This apart, cities like Bhubaneswar also experienced scarcity of milk as they could not be transported on Saturday.

The Odisha State Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation Limited (OMFED) service has been badly hit by the protest as they are unable to transport milk to the market due to the drivers' stir, an official said.

The impact of the strike could also be witnessed at Cuttack's Netaji Bus Terminal. The people were seen waiting for buses for long hours as drivers were on strike.