Riding high! Fuel shortage pushes Zomato agent to deliver on horse in Hyderabad

Fuel shortage was seen in different states causing people to flock to petrol pumps fearing scarcity amid a protest by truck drivers against a clause in the new criminal law on hit-and-run accident cases involving two-wheelers.

A Zomato delivery agent was seen carrying food orders on horseback in Hyderabad.

The video that went viral on social media comes amid reports of fuel shortage in the city.

Long queues were seen at petrol stations in several parts of Hyderabad on Tuesday as people flocked there fearing fuel scarcity amid a protest by truck drivers against a clause in the new criminal law on hit-and-run accident cases involving two-wheelers.

A petrol pump owner admitted that supply of fuel in the city was hit due to the protest by truck drivers since Monday.

"(Fuel) availability is there. People are apprehensive that due to the agitation by truck drivers, it may not be available, and they are going to petrol pumps in large numbers, following which queues were formed and subsequently spilled over to the roads resulting in traffic jams initially," a senior police official told PTI.

Some petrol pumps in the city were barricaded even as motorists complained that they were unable to refuel their vehicles as some of the outlets were "closed", due to which they faced problems.

Fuel shortage was seen elsewhere in the country as well including Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. Amid the ongoing protests, the Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla met with the transporters after which the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) said that the Modi government had assured that the new laws regarding hit-and-run cases would only be implemented after a discussion with the stakeholders and an appeal was made for the truckers to call of their strike.

"We had a discussion with All India Motor Transport Congress representatives, govt want to say that the new rule has not been implemented yet, we all want to say that before implementing Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 106/2, we will have a discussion with All India Motor Transport Congress representatives and then only we will take a decision," Bhalla said while talking to ANI.

(With PTI inputs)