Members of various tourist taxi associations in Meghalaya on Friday took part in a 48-hour strike in protest against the new penal law on hit-and-run cases.
Members of the Khasi Hills Tourist Taxi Association positioned themselves in several junctions along the interstate highways and stopped tourist taxis that did not take part in the protest.
Association general secretary Bhaskar Deb said the protest was in line with the Greater Guwahati Tourist Taxi Association. Tourist taxis will remain off the roads in both the states on Saturday. Deb said the strike is not against tourists, but is aimed at protecting fellow drivers from the proposed law.
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Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, set to replace the Indian Penal Code, drivers who run away without informing authorities after being involved in serious road accidents due to negligent driving face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh. The punishment in such cases was two years in the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"The government intends to come up with a law that targets drivers. We are concerned as it is our livelihood," he said.
