Assam: 48-hour transport strike reduced to 24 hours, vehicles to ply from 5 am tomorrow

The statewide 48-hour long strike called by commercial vehicle owners has been reduced to 24 hour long. With this, commercial vehicles such buses, trucks and others are set to operate from 5 am onwards tomorrow. 

The decision comes in after the leaders of the Assam Motor Worker Association held talks with the state transport department today. As per reports, a five hour long discussion was held between the transport department officials and the motor workers' association leaders, following which the decision was taken to reduce the 48-hour long strike into a 24-hour long one. 

The association decided to curtail the strike by 24 hours as the law has not been implemented yet. The transport department also reportedly gave the assurance to the motor workers association that steps would be taken by the government in this regard. 

The strike caused significant inconvenience to office-goers who struggled to reach their workplaces as buses, taxis, and app-based cabs ceased to operate in adherence to the strike. Throughout the day, people faced huge inconvenience in commuting, especially in big cities in Guwahati. 

Yesterday, long queues were seen at the petrol pumps across the cities in Assam as people lined up to fill their fuel tanks amid fears of a supply crunch. 

The strike comes in the wake of the proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) set to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Under the new law, drivers causing serious road accidents due to negligence and failing to report the incident to police or the administration may face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of Rs 7 lakh.