Millions of commuters across India were left stranded on Thursday as buses and taxis did not ply to protest a proposed law that makes punishment for traffic violations much more stringent.
Passengers had to wait endlessly at railway stations in various cities as public transport went off the road. People were forced to trudge with heavy luggage and office-goers too were hit hard.
The strike was part of the nationwide agitation by major trade unions demanding repeal of the Road, Transport and Safety Bill, 2014, and alleged anti-worker policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central Government.
The protest is against the hefty penalties that are proposed in the new Bill such as Rs50,000 for rash driving, Rs10,000 for drunken driving and up to Rs6,000 for over-speeding. The Bill is to be put before the Cabinet for approval.
The Bill also proposes a regulatory authority, not only to advise the Central and State Governments on road safety, but also have the powers to ensure that the norms laid down are followed by all stakeholders.
The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways, however, says this is necessary so as to reduce road accidents by at least 2,00,000 over the next five years, as opposed to some 4,90,000 accidents each year — 25 per cent of them fatal in nature.
The stir had a partial impact in Delhi, where comparatively few autorickshaws and taxis were on the roads. There were few buses running and each was jam-packed, leading to crowds at each bus stop.
State roadways, private buses and taxis did not ply across Haryana, causing
misery to thousands of passengers. Buses remained parked at bus stands or bus depots, and passengers were left stranded.
The transport workers on Thursday also organised protest rallies across Tripura to denounce the new transport Bill proposed.
In Himachal Pradesh, employees of the State-run Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), which has a fleet of over 2,200 buses, were on strike.
The strike hit the commuters hard with connectivity between cities and towns affected. However, several private buses were on the road.
The strike also had an effect in Kerala, with hundreds of people who arrived at various bus stands, railway stations and airports. The stir, however, evoked partial response in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Transport services were partially affected in Hyderabad as a section of auto-rickshaws, taxis and trucks remained off the roads.
The nationwide strike did not affect normal life in Tamil Nadu as State-owned buses plied as usual while some privately-owned buses and autorickshaws stayed away from the roads.