Pune, Jan 2 (PTI) The National Auto-Taxi-Bus Transport Federation on Tuesday threatened to go on strike if the Centre did not repeal a provision in the new penal law on hit-and-run road accidents.

Many parts of Maharashtra witnessed protests by truckers and fuel tanker drivers against a provision in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which replaces the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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As per the provision, 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.

Speaking to reporters here, Baba Kamble, the national president of the National Auto-Taxi-Bus Transport Federation, appealed to all transporters to protest against the provisions peacefully.

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The government should not suppress the agitation, he said, claiming that the authorities used force against agitators in some places.

"The government has decided to have a provision of 10 years imprisonment in the new penal law on hit-and-run road accidents. However, the move has created an uproar among transporters in the country. We demand that this black law be rolled back at the earliest and the pending demands of transporters be fulfilled," Kamble said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)