* Vegetables, fruits vanishing from Narwal market
Gopal Sharma/ Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Jan 2: The fuel supplies have badly hit as the transport operators/drivers across the Jammu and Kashmir and the UT of Ladakh have gone on strike in protest against the new law enacted by the Union Government with regard to ‘hit & run’ (accident) case.
Huge rush was witnessed at the petrol pumps at Jammu, Srinagar and other major towns of the UT while, over 90% pumps were said to have gone dry. The volume of vehicles on Jammu roads apparently appeared to have reduced to almost 50 per cent of the usual, during the day today as many vehicles/bikes have run short of fuel.
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In order to control rush of people at many petrol pumps and to regulate traffic on the roads, the administration had to deploy police to control the rush and make vehicle operators to make long queues along the road side. Many pumps in City have put the boards indicating “No Supplies.” Apprehending extension of strike for next couple of days, the people are running here and there for procuring petrol and diesel. They are now moving towards rural area petrol pumps to get the fuel.
Ajit Singh, Chairman, All J&K Transport Welfare Association said that today all the operators./drivers of public transport vehicles including buses, mini-buses, Tempo travelers, Sumos/taxis and auto-rikshaws have gone on indefinite strike. On Monday, Tanker operators and truckers (National Permit) went on strike. All the trucks/mini-trucks/ Tata Mobile vehicles operating within J&K also went on strike today.
Singh said the trucks with supplies of vegetables, fruits and other essential supplies from outside have also stopped. It may create big crisis if the Government failed to take a decision in this regard.
Vijay Singh Chib, president of the Association disclosed that on the call of Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar a delegation of AJKTWA led by Ajit Singh and accompanied by all the presidents of Bus, Truck, Tanker, Mini-bus, Taxi and Auto Unions had a meeting with him in his office Chamber late this evening. He said a memorandum on behalf of transport operators was submitted to the Government through him. He persuaded to the association to call off strike but the members declared that they are with the All India Union and will call off strike only if Government goes for roll back on its decision. The talks therefore, remained inconclusive.
Chib said that their strike will continue till this black law with regard to 10 years imprisonment and Rs 7 lakh fine on driver in case of accident (hit & run) is scrapped. He said the drivers are not prepared to drive their vehicles and Association can not force them.
Anan Sharma, president Petrol Tankers Owners Association said over 2000 oil tankers are operating in J&K and Ladakh. He said he received phone calls from many parts of Kashmir and Ladakh and even Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar etc, and came to know that supplies have exhausted in these areas.
Sharma said Oil companies had given hint of slash in fuel rates around December 31 and therefore, majority of pump owners did not lift full quota. This was the reason behind early exhausting of their quota. Moreover, heavy rush also was the reason for it. He said tanker and truck operators also held protest at Narwal today demanding revocation of the new law. They said the strike will continue and drivers will not return to work unless the new legislations are repealed, All J&K Petrol Tanker Owners’ Association leader said.
“The situation is going to get worse if the Government fails to roll back the black law imposed on us. Ninety per cent of pumps have gone dry and in the next two hours, all the fuel stations will go dry. The Government has bitterly failed to address the issue,” he said.
Sharma added that if the situation continues like this, there will be no fuel supply for the armed forces and the public which will badly hit normal life in J&K and Ladakh.
Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles lined up at most of the fuel stations in Kashmir, leading to traffic snarls in some parts of Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley.
Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which is set to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, drivers who cause serious road accidents due to negligent driving and run away without informing police or the administration face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh. Truckers in several States launched a protest against the “stringent provision” on Monday.
A fuel station manager in Srinagar said their stock will last for another day at the most. “We had enough supplies to last four to five days, but since everyone is filling full tanks and there is a huge rush, the stock will last maximum for a day,” he added.
A manager at another petrol pump said, “There are orders from the administration to fix a scale fuel, and right now, we are only giving petrol worth Rs 1,000 and 10 litres of diesel to cars.”
A number of people standing in queues outside the petrol pumps said they have been waiting for nearly an hour, and even more in some cases, for their turn.”We have been in this long queue for the past one and a half hours.There are over 300 vehicles. Everyone is panic-stricken,” Saleem Khan said.
Transporters and drivers held protest at Poonch and took out a march. Heavy rush of vehicles was also seen at petrol pumps at Udhampur, Rajouri and Doda town.
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