Odisha: Commercial drivers withdraw transport strike at end of Day 3

The association of commercial drivers on Saturday night, 6 January, withdrew their strike on the third day, which affected passenger bus services and transportation of petroleum products and milk.

The Odisha Drivers' Mahasangha announced withdrawal of the strike after getting assurance from the state government that their demands will be looked into.

"We hope the Odisha government will fulfil our demands," Mahasangha president Prasant Menduli said.

State transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur also said that drivers have withdrawn the strike and normalcy will return.

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 Mahasangha was part of the All-India strike.

The drivers spoke of concerns around changes to an IPC 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.