Hit and run law: Commercial, public vehicles off roads in Assam as 48-hour transport strike begins
Guwahati, Jan 5: Commercial vehicles and other modes of public transport stayed off the roads in most parts of Assam on Friday, owing to a 48-hour strike called by a joint forum of transporters' unions to protest against the new penal law on hit-and-run cases.
Office-goers had a difficult time reaching their workplaces as buses, taxis and app cabs didn't ply, abiding by the strike call.
"The government only wants to blame drivers for any unfortunate incident even if they may not have committed the crime. Instead of improving road conditions, they are penalising the poor drivers," said Ramen Das, the convenor of Assam Motor Worker Associations' Joint Platform.
"The new law on hit-and-run cases is anti-drivers and is against owners of vehicles. We call for a strike of all vehicles from 5 am on Friday to 5 am on Sunday to press for our demand for withdrawal of the legislation," Das said.
Talks with officials of the state government on Thursday night failed to make any headway, he added.
Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which is set to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), drivers, who cause serious road accidents due to negligent driving and run away without informing police or the administration, can face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.
The punishment for such offences was two years in the British-era IPC.
The transporters' platform has also urged private car owners to join the stir, as the law is applicable to everyone irrespective of whether someone is driving a commercial vehicle or a small car, Das said.
Meanwhile, long queues were seen at petrol pumps across the state, with people lining up to fill fuel tanks amid fears of supply crunch.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
